MAYOR 
WARWICK 


< 


UC-NRLF 


$B    3DD    TEM 


HERBERT  M- 
HOPKINS 


VJERARf 

O?  THE 

UNIVERSITY 
OF 


"ACfl 

CWCWNATJ. 


THE   MAYOR   OF   WARWICK 


THE 

MAYOR  OF  WARWICK 


BY 

HERBERT  M.  HOPKINS 

AUTHOR  OF   "  THE   FIGHTING   BISHOP  " 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

(Cfte  fiitoerjri&e  prew,  Cambri&oe 
1906 


COPYRIGHT  IQ06  BY  HERBERT  M.  HOPKINS 
ALL    RIGHTS   RESERVED 

Published  April  rgob 


TO    PAULINE 


M623046 


CONTENTS 


I.   The  Meeting  in  the  Maple  Walk     .        .  1 

II.   The  Tower 9 

III.  Cardington '  .        .22 

IV.  The  Bishop's  Daughter   ....  32 
V.   The  Candidate 61 

VI.   Lena  Harpster 84 

VII.   The  Star-Gazers 104 

VIII.   "  What  makes  her  in  the  Wood  so  Late  ?  "  131 

IX.    "Her  Heart  was  Otherwhere"         .        .  162 

X.   Mistress  and  Maid 184 

XL   At  the  Old  Continental    ....  203 

XII.   The  Confession 234 

XIII.  Furniture  and  Family        ....  255 

XIV.  The  President  takes  a  Hand         .        .  274 

XV.     "  I  PLUCKED  THE  ROSE,  IMPATIENT  OF  DELAY  "  297 

XVI.   The  Blindness  of  the  Bishop         .        .  319 

XVII.   Conditions 339 

XVIII.   "Two  Sister  Vessels"     ....  350 

XIX.   Father  and  Daughter         .        .                 .  377 

XX.   "  Punishment,  though  Lame  of  Foot  "  —  399 

XXI.   The  Mayor  finds  Himself  at  Last    .        .  417 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   MEETING   IN   THE   MAPLE   WALK 

St.  GEORGE'S  HALL,  situated  on  a  high  hill 
overlooking  the  city  of  Warwick,  was  still  silent 
and  tenantless,  though  the  long  vacation  was  draw- 
ing to  a  close.  To  a  stranger  passing  that  way  for 
the  first  time,  the  building  and  the  surrounding 
country  would  doubtless  have  suggested  the  old 
England  rather  than  the  new.  There  was  something 
mediaeval  in  the  massive,  castellated  tower  that 
carried  the  eye  upward  past  the  great,  arched  door- 
way, the  thin,  -  deep-set  windows,  the  leaded  eaves 
and  grinning  gargoyles,  into  the  cool  sky  of  the 
September  morning. 

The  stranger,  were  he  rich  in  good  traditions, 
would  pause  in  admiration  of  the  pure  collegiate- 
gothic  style  of  the  low  hall  that  extended  north  and 
south  three  hundred  feet  in  either  direction  from  the 
base  of  the  great  tower ;  he  would  note  the  artistry 
of  the  iron-braced,  oaken  doors,  flanked  at  the  lintels 
by  inscrutable  faces  of  carven  stone,  of  the  windows 
with  their  diamonded  panes  of  milky  glass  peeping 
through  a  wilderness  of  encroaching  vines.    Nor 

would  this  be  all.   Had  he  ever  viewed  the  quad- 

— »•  l  •»— 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

rangles  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  he  might  be  able 
to  infer  that  here,  on  this  sunny  plateau  above  the 
hill,  devoted  men,  steept  in  the  traditions  of  old 
England,  had  endeavoured  to  reproduce  the  plan  of 
one  of  her  famous  colleges. 

He  would  see,  perhaps,  that  only  one  side  of  the 
quadrangle  was  built,  one  fourth  of  the  work  done. 
Here,  along  the  northern  line,  should  be  the  chapel, 
its  altar  window  facing  the  east ;  on  the  southern, 
the  dining-hall,  adorned  with  rafters  of  dark  oak  and 
with  portraits  of  the  wise  and  great.  To  complete 
the  plan,  the  remaining  gap  must  be  closed  by  a  hall 
similar  in  style  to  the  one  already  built. 

He  might  picture  himself  standing  in  the  midst 
of  this  beautiful  creation  of  the  imagination,  taking 
in  its  architectural  glories  one  by  one,  until  his  eye 
paused  at  the  eastern  gateway  to  note  the  distant 
landscape  which  it  framed.  And  then,  if  he  were  in 
sympathy  with  the  ideals  of  which  this  building  was 
the  outward  expression,  he  would  wake  from  his 
constructive  reverie  to  realise  sadly  for  the  first  time, 
♦not  the  beauty,  but  the  incompleteness,  of  the  insti- 
tution ;  not  its  proximity  to  the  city  beyond,  but 
its  air  of  aloofness  from  the  community  in  which  it 
stood. 

About  ten  o'clock  of  the  morning  in  which  this 
story  begins,  a  stranger,  not  quite  such  an  one  as  we 
have  imagined,  left  the  car  at  the  foot  of  the  long 
hill  and  turned  his  face  for  the  first  time  towards 

-H-  2  +- 


IN    THE     MAFLE     WALK 

St.  George's  Hall.  As  he  passed  up  the  shaded  street 
along  the  northern  side  of  the  campus,  his  keen, 
blue-grey  eyes  swept  eagerly  the  crest  on  which  stood 
the  institution  that  was"  destined  to  be  the  scene  of 
his  professional  labdurs  for  at  least  a  year,  perhaps 
for  many  years,  it  might  be,  for  life.  Even  a  casual 
glance  at  the  tall,  loosely  hung  figure  of  the  young 
man,  at  his  clean-cut  features  and  firm  mouth,  at 
the  nervous,  capable  hand  that  grasped  his  walking- 
stick  as  if  it  were  a  weapon,  would  reveal  the  type 
claimed  by  America  as  peculiarly  her  own.  It  was 
evident  that  he  possessed  energy  and  endurance,  if 
not  the  power  of  the  athlete.  His  expression  was 
intellectual,  and  shrewd  almost  to  hardness ;  yet 
somewhere  in  his  eyes  and  in  the  corners  of  his 
mouth  there  lurked  a  suggestion  of  sweetness  arid 
of  ideality,  that  gave  the  whole  personality  a  claim 
to  more  than  passing  interest  and  regard. 

This  curious  blending  of  opposite  traits,  of  shrewd- 
ness and  of  ideality,  was  illustrated  by  his  thoughts 
as  he  strode  along,  making  no  more  of  the  hill 
than  he  would  have  made  of  level  ground.  Nothing 
escaped  his  eye  or  failed  of  its  impression  upon  hii 
mind.  Fresh  from  the  teeming  life  of  a  large  uni- 
versity, he  noted  the  absence  of  students  from  the 
steps  of  the  fraternity  houses  on  his  right,  though  it 
lacked  but  three  days  of  the  opening  of  the  college. 
Already  his  own  university  had  felt  the  first  wave 
of  the  incoming  class,  a  class  that  would  doubtless 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

contain  four  times  as  many  students  as  the  total 
membership  of  St.  George's  Hall.  Instinctively  he 
searched  his  mind  for  an  explanation  of  this  lack 
of  growth  in  an  institution  that  numbered  nearly 
one  hundred  years  of  life.  Wnat  was  the  defect  ? 
Where  was  the  remedy  ?  He  jumped  at  once  to  the 
conclusion  that  both  were  discoverable,  and  dimly 
foresaw  that  the  discovery  might  be  his  own. 

He  approached  the  scene  where  he  was  himself 
to  be  on  trial  in  the  spirit  of  one  who  questioned, 
not  his  fitness  for  the  place  he  was  to  occupy,  for  of 
that  he  had  no  shadow  of  doubt,  but  the  fitness  of 
the  place  for  him.  If  he  saw  promotion,  perhaps  the 
presidency,  within  his  grasp,  he  might  deem  it  worth 
his  while  to  stay  ;  if  not,  his  professorship  should  be 
a  stepping-stone  to  something  better.  With  the  his- 
tory, the  traditions,  and  the  ideals  of  the  Hall  he 
was  but  slightly  acquainted;  in  fact,  the  institution 
existed  for  him  at  present  only  in  its  relation  to 
himself  and  his  possible  future. 

And  yet,  beneath  these  thoughts  of  self  ran  a  cur- 
rent of  feeling  or  impressions  which  never  rose  high 
enough  in  his  consciousness  to  win  definite  recog- 
nition. If  his  first  view  of  the  college  was  depressing 
because  of  the  failure  of  fruition  its  appearance 
suggested,  he  was  not  utterly  un appreciative  of  the 
pictorial  effect :  the  splendid  lines  of  dignity  and 
beauty ;  the  soft  brown  colour  of  the  stone,  relieved 
by  the  lighter  tone  of  lintel  and  window-frame  and 

-»-  4  •»— 


IN     THE    MAPLE    WALK 

sill ;  the  dark  green  of  the  ivy ;  the  great,  black 
shadow  of  the  tower  on  the  slated  roof  where  every 
jutting  dormer  window  threw  its  lesser  shade ;  the 
wide  sky  beyond,  of  a  blueness  which  an  artist  would 
have  wished  to  paint. 

From  the  meadow  below  the  plateau  came  the 
tinkle  of  cow-bells,  musical  in  the  distance ;  and 
this  sound,  combined  with  the  note  of  a  bird  and 
the  voices  of  children  from  an  unseen  garden, 
produced  an  Arcadian  atmosphere  which  even  the 
harsh  gong  of  the  returning  electric  car  could  not 
dispel. 

As  he  climbed  higher,  the  houses  fell  away,  dis- 
closing the  bare  hilltop  over  which  the  road  seemed 
to  dip  down  and  disappear;  and  though  he  knew 
it  could  not  be  so,  he  was  half  expectant  of  the  sea 
when  he  should  have  lifted  his  head  above  the  verge. 
Instead,  he  saw  a  wide  and  shallow  valley,  rich  in 
the  varied  products  of  the  autumn,  with  here  and 
there  a  bare,  reaped  field,  with  many  a  white  farm- 
house and  barn  of  red  or  grey,  till  his  eye  followed 
the  road  to  the  western  hill  line  and  noted  a  patch 
of  small,  white  objects  which  might  be  a  group  of 
boulders  left  by  a  prehistoric  glacier,  or  the  houses 
of  a  distant  town. 

The  view  on  the  east,  when  he  turned  and  faced 
in  the  direction  from  which  he  had  come,  was  one 
of  greater  interest  and  of  no  less  beauty.  In  the 
immediate  foreground  the  city  of  Warwick,  in  which 

-+  5  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

he  had  passed  the  previous  night,  thrust  its  smoking 
factory  chimneys,  its  spires  and  towers,  above  the 
shining  roofs  and  lofty  elms.  But  the  final  element 
of  charm  was  found  in  a  broad  and  sinuous  river, 
blue  as  the  reflected  sky,  which  flowed  past  the  city's 
wharves,  under  a  fine  stone  bridge,  and  on  through 
woodland  and  ploughed  land  to  the  sea.  Small  won- 
der that  he  now  forgot  for  a  moment  his  own 
ambitions  and  plans,  and  thought  only  that  St. 
George's  Hall  lifted  its  head  within  an  earthly  para- 
dise! 

The  building,  seen  from  the  end,  presented  the 
same  extraordinary  change  that  is  to  be  noted  when 
a  long  ocean  steamship  which  has  been  trailing 
across  the  horizon  turns,  shrinks,  and  comes  bow  on. 
In  some  such  proportion  to  its  length  was  the  width 
of  the  Hall ;  but  the  tower,  viewed  from  any  angle, 
was  still  magnificent.  With  its  four  supporting 
turrets  it  appeared  rather  a  group  of  towers  than  a 
single  structure. 

His  immediate  curiosity  satisfied,  the  young  man 
now  exchanged  the  bright  sunlight  of  the  open  for 
the  comparative  gloom  of  two  long  lines  of  maples, 
which  flanked  a  narrow  board  walk  from  the  street 
to  the  college.  There  was  a  prophecy  of  winter  in 
the  red  and  yellow  leaves  that  dropped  slowly  down- 
ward one  by  one,  or  descended  in  rustling  showers 
as  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  seized  the  thin  branches 
and  shook  them  against  the  sky. 

-+  6  +- 


IN    THE    MAPLE    WALK 

And  now,  as  if  to  personify  the  spirit  of  the  place, 
he  saw  the  figure  of  a  young  woman  enter  the  walk 
from  the  other  end,  apparently  from  the  college 
building.  As  they  approached  each  other,  he  noted 
the  fact  that  she  was  without  hat  or  gloves,  like  a 
lady  walking  at  ease  through  her  own  estate,  and 
he  guessed  that  she  had  some  peculiar  proprietary 
right  in  the  premises.  For  one  moment,  in  passing, 
he  was  startled  to  encounter  a  cool  and  observant 
gaze ;  then  her  eyes  dropped  to  the  collection  of 
leaves  which  she  held  in  her  hands,  as  if  she  resumed 
an  interrupted  study  of  their  harmonious  shades. 

He  divined,  after  he  had  passed  her  by,  that  she 
had  seen  him  from  the  moment  they  entered  the 
opposite  ends  of  the  walk ;  and  though  he  could 
not  recall  distinctly  a  feature  of  her  face,  he  carried 
with  him  an  impression  of  charm  and  colour  singu- 
larly in  unison  with  the  season  of  the  year.  More- 
over, her  gaze,  though  momentary,  was  cumulative 
in  its  remembered  effect,  so  that  he  presently  turned 
and  looked  curiously  after  her  retreating  figure. 

She  had  now  emerged  from  the  shadow  of  the 
trees  into  the  sunlight  of  the  open  street  beyond, 
where  she  stood  looking  westward,  as  if  minded  to 
continue  her  walk  into  the  country.  Even  from  that 
distance  he  could  see  how  the  unobstructed  wind 
struggled  with  her  slender  figure,  so  that  she  leaned 
against  it  in  resistance.  As  if  persuaded  by  its  force 
to  change  her  plan,  she  turned  slowly,  released  the 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

leaves  with  a  gesture  of  surrender,  gathered  her 
skirts  in  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  raised  to  her 
loosened  hair  she  began  to  descend  the  hill. 

The  young  man  stood  still  until  she  had  disap- 
peared, smitten  by  an  inexplicable  sense  of  the  fatal- 
ity of  that  meeting.  Verging  upon  the  sixth  lustrum 
of  his  age,  he  had  passed  through  that  vernal  period 
when  the  face  of  every  woman  of  more  than  ordinary 
charm  suggested  possibilities  of  the  heart's  adven- 
ture. With  him  the  main  business  of  life  was  no 
longer  the  seeking  of  a  mate.  All  books,  all  arts, 
all  accomplishments,  had  ceased  to  seem  merely  the 
accessories  and  the  handmaidens  of  love.  Yet  never 
in  those  days  of  searching  and  romance  had  he 
been  so  attracted  by  a  passing  face.  Beauty  alone 
would  have  left  him  cold.  The  impression  he  re- 
ceived was  far  more  rich,  an  impression  to  which 
the  circumstances  of  the  encounter  gave  a  peculiar 
emphasis.  The  adventure  seemed  a  possible  keynote 
of  the  future,  and  there  was  an  element  of  vague 
disquiet  in  his  hope  that  he  might  meet  her  again, 
an  element  akin  to  fear. 


THE    TOWER 


CHAPTER  II 


THE   TOWER 


IjLEWELLYN  LEIGH  found  himself  upon  the 
wide  stone  flagging  in  front  of  the  Hall  before  he 
awoke  to  a  realisation  of  another  meeting,  now  im- 
minent, whose  importance  was  far  less  conjectural 
than  that  upon  which  his  fancy  would  fain  have 
lingered. 

The  personality  of  the  president  of  a  large  uni- 
versity might  be  a  matter  of  indifference  to  a  young 
instructor,  inconspicuous  among  his  many  colleagues ; 
but  to  be  transferred  to  a  full  professorship  in  a 
small  college  was  to  come  into  close,  daily  contact 
with  the  ruling  power,  a  contact  from  which  there 
was  no  escape,  in  which  instinctive  likes  and  antipa- 
thies might  make  or  mar  a  career.  At  this  thought 
the  young  man  began  to  speculate  with  some  inten- 
sity upon  the  personality  indicated  thus  far  to  his 
mind  only  by  the  name  of  Doctor  Renshaw. 

The  very  silence  of  the  Hall,  which  impressed 
him  now  not  so  much  by  its  beauty  as  by  its  solidity 
and  height,  invested  the  presiding  genius  of  the  place 
with  something  of  sphinxlike  mystery.  The  very 
faces  of  the  gargoyles,  impenetrable  and  calm,  or 

■+9^ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

grinningly  grotesque,  gave  the  fancy  visible  outward 
expression.  One  monster  in  particular,  with  twisted 
horns  and  impish  tongue  lolling  forth  between  wide, 
inhuman  teeth,  seemed  to  look  upon  him  with  pecul- 
iar and  malicious  amusement.  He  experienced  the 
spiritual  depression  which  sometimes  seems  to  ema- 
nate from  inanimate  things,  that  mood  of  self -distrust, 
that  assurance  of  being  unwelcome,  which  makes 
the  coming  to  a  strange  city  where  one's  fortunes 
are  to  be  cast  an  act  requiring  courage.  Seen  close 
at  hand,  the  college  lost  something  of  that  inviting 
charm  with  which  a  distant  view  invested  it.  Though 
the  length  of  the  corporate  life  of  the  institution 
was  not  unimpressive  from  an  American  standpoint, 
the  present  building  was  comparatively  recent.  A 
thirty  years'  growth  of  ivy  was  scarcely  able  to  atone 
for  the  unencrusted  newness  of  the  stones  beneath. 
There  was  none  of  that  narcotic  suggestion  of  grey 
antiquity  which  in  Oxford  or  Cambridge  rebukes 
and  stills  a  personal  ambition. 

Beyond  each  small  doorway  he  saw  a  flight  of 
stone  stairs  vanishing  into  the  obscurity,  and  through 
the  open  windows  he  caught  glimpses  of  decorations 
on  the  walls,  the  flags  and  signs  and  photographs 
which  everywhere  represent  the  artistic  standards  of 
the  average  undergraduate. 

But  a  compensating  surprise  was  presently  in 
store.  As  he  passed  the  tower,  he  heard  the  deep 
notes  of  a  pipe  organ ;  the  open  diapason  and  flutes 
-+  10  -i- 


THE    TOWER 


of  the  great,  the  reeds  of  the  swell,  piled  one  upon 
another  in  a  splendid  harmony.  He  looked  up  and 
saw  the  lengthened  windows  that  indicated  the  loca- 
tion of  the  chapel,  which  apparently  extended  the 
full  height  of  the  building.  The  musician  within 
added  a  two-foot  stop,  the  final  needed  element  of 
brilliancy,  crowning  the  edifice  of  sound  his  fingers 
had  reared,  so  that  now  the  music  seemed  to  burst 
through  the  half-open  windows  and  to  shake  the 
vines  upon  the  wall.  Lover  of  music  as  he  was,  this 
unexpected  and  triumphant  symphony  made  a  pe- 
culiar appeal  to  Leigh's  imagination.  Through  it,  as 
through  a  golden  mist,  he  saw  the  drama  of  life 
sublimated,  himself  an  actor  of  dignity  and  worth  ; 
and  a  few  moments  later  he  entered  the  president's 
office  with  a  poise  in  which  there  remained  no  trace 
of  anxious  conjecture. 

A  figure  rose  to  greet  him  as  he  entered,  and 
though  he  was  himself  a  tall  man,  the  other  loomed 
above  him  in  the  comparative  twilight  of  the  room, 
until  he  seemed  to  assume  colossal  proportions.  Then 
Leigh  realized  that  it  was  not  the  height  of  the  man, 
but  his  bearing,  that  gave  such  significance  to  the 
inch  or  two  between  them.  His  grey  hair  alone  sug- 
gested years  ;  he  held  his  shoulders  like  a  man  of 
forty.  He  removed  his  glasses  deliberately,  put  them 
on  the  pile  of  papers  beside  him,  and  stood  waiting. 
There  was  a  courteous  enquiry  in  his  very  attitude, 
although  as  yet  he  spoke  no  word.    His  head  was 

-H-    11    -I- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

tilted  slightly  backward,  and  his  smile  might  have 
seemed  almost  inane  in  its  width  and  in  the  impres- 
sion of  permanency  which  it  conveyed,  were  it  not 
for  the  intellectuality  of  the  brow,  the  force  of  the 
fine  aquiline  nose,  and  the  watchful  perspicacity  of 
the  deepset  eyes. 

"This  is  Doctor  Renshaw,  I  believe,"  said  Leigh 
tentatively. 

"  Doctor  Renshaw  is  here,"  returned  the  other, 
indicating  by  a  slight  gesture  a  figure  seated  at  the 
far  end  of  the  table,  which  now  arose  and  came 
toward  them.  "  Doctor,  I  venture  to  assume  that  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  making  you  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Leigh,  our  new  professor  of  mathematics." 

His  words  were  distinctly  spoken,  but  pitched  in 
so  low  a  tone  that  they  produced  an  odd  effect,  as  of 
purring. 

It  was  now  that  Leigh  discovered  his  mistake. 
The  man  whom  he  had  taken  for  the  president  was 
Bishop  Wycliffe,  and  it  required  but  five  minutes 
of  conversation  to  show  him  that  the  bishop,  not  the 
president,  was  the  significant  personality. 

Doctor  Renshaw  might  have  been  anywhere  in  the 
afternoon  of  life,  and  one  felt  instinctively  that  his 
sunset  had  antedated  his  meridian.  He  was  like 
those  ancients,  spoken  of  with  such  disapproval  by 
Cicero,  who  began  to  be  old  men  early  that  they 
might  continue  to  be  old  men  for  a  long  time.  His 
value  to  the  institution  he  had  served  so  long,  and 
-+  12  1- 


THE    TOWER 


his  safety  in  his  position,  lay  in  the  possession  of 
negative  qualities.  His  silence  was  interpreted  as  an 
indication  of  wisdom,  and  the  firmly  cut  features  of 
his  inscrutable  face  would  have  served  an  artist  as  a 
personification  of  discipline.  As  he  exchanged  the 
conventional  greetings  the  occasion  demanded,  he 
might  even  then  have  been  standing  for  the  portrait 
of  himself  that  was  one  day  to  be  added  to  those  of 
his  predecessors  on  the  library  wall ;  or  he  might 
have  been  one  of  the  portraits  already  there  that 
had  stepped  from  its  frame  for  a  moment  to  take  the 
newcomer  by  the  hand. 

In  short,  the  thing  of  greatest  significance  in  this 
meeting,  the  thing  which  made  itself  felt  by  all  three 
participants,  was  the  juxtaposition  of  the  ancient  and 
modern.  The  young  man,  clothed  in  a  light  grey 
suit,  his  soft  hat  crushed  in  the  nervous  grasp  of  his 
long  fingers,  a  man  whose  scholastic  training  had 
been  disassociated  from  religious  traditions,  now 
stood  face  to  face  with  medievalism,  with  two  elderly 
men  in  dark  habiliments,  as  greatly  superior  to  him- 
self in  that  subtlety  which  finds  its  highest  expres- 
sion in  the  ecclesiastical  type  as  he  was  superior  to 
them  in  the  acquisition  of  scientific  truth. 

Presently  the  bishop  invited  his  young  friend,  as 
he  already  called  the  new  arrival,  to  walk  with  him 
about  the  grounds.  Doctor  Renshaw,  left  alone, 
resumed  his  seat  in  the  heavy  oaken  chair  which 
had  once  belonged  to  the  founder  of  blessed  mem- 

-+  13  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

ory,  his  shining  head  round  as  a  ball  against  the 
diamonded  panes  at  his  back,  the  framed  plans  of 
the  St.  George's  Hall  of  the  future  looking  down 
upon  him.  On  the  broad  stone  mantel  rested  an  an- 
tique episcopal  mitre  of  black  cloth,  decorated  with 
ecclesiastical  symbols  in  tarnished  thread,  and  a  tall 
clock  of  almost  equal  age  stood  silent  in  the  corner, 
showing  on  its  pale,  round  face  the  carven  signs  of 
the  zodiac.  These  objects  seemed  the  peculiar  pro- 
perty of  the  solitary  tenant  of  the  room,  rather  than 
relics  of  a  former  time,  so  still  he  sat,  so  convincing 
was  the  changelessness  of  his  decorous  age. 

Meanwhile  the  bishop  was  giving  Leigh  new  light 
upon  his  status  in  St.  George's  Hall. 

"  I  must  tell  you,  Mr.  Leigh,  —  for  it  is  better  to 
be  frank  always,  —  that  your  appointment  is  in  the 
nature  of  an  experiment.  Doctor  Renshaw  engaged 
your  services  for  a  year  while  I  was  absent  in  Europe. 
I  knew  nothing  of  it  until  my  return,  though  I  have 
every  reason  to  believe,  in  view  of  your  excellent 
recommendations  and  family  connections,  that  the 
choice  was  felicitous." 

Leigh  listened  to  these  words,  so  kindly  but  de- 
cisively spoken,  with  an  emotion  of  uneasiness  not 
untouched  by  resentment.  How  premature  his 
thought  of  the  presidency  now  appeared,  how  slight 
his  claims  to  consideration !  He  learned  now  defi- 
nitely that  the  bishop  was  the  real  president  of 
the  college,  and  that  Doctor  Renshaw  was  a  fairly 
-h  14  +- 


THE    TOWER 


negligible  element  in  the  situation.  He  divined  also 
the  proud  and  self -sufficient  spirit  of  the  place,  a 
pride  entirely  independent  of  worldly  success,  of 
numbers  and  noise. 

"  To  be  equally  frank,  bishop,"  he  returned, 
"  I  thought  I  had  passed  my  professional  proba- 
tion." 

"  We  are  all  on  probation,  always,"  said  the 
bishop,  with  a  suggestion  of  amused  indulgence  in 
his  smile.  "  I  am  far  from  questioning  your  profes- 
sional capacity,  but  an  arrangement  for  one  year 
leaves  us  both  free  to  make  other  plans,  in  case  we 
find  that  the  adjustment  is  not  as  perfect  as  we  could 
have  wished.  However,  that  is  a  future  contingency. 
Quid  sit  futurum  eras  —  you  know  the  sentiment. 
If  you  leave  us,  it  will  doubtless  be  at  your  own 
volition  and,  like  the  man  in  the  parable,  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  a  higher  place." 

He  laid  his  hand  affectionately  on  his  companion's 
shoulder.  "  Now  here,"  he  continued,  "  is  the  south- 
ern boundary  of  the  quadrangle." 

Having  outlined  the  architectural  possibilities  of 
the  future,  he  pointed  with  his  stick  to  the  large 
bronze  statue  of  the  founder  that  stood  on  the  east- 
ern verge  of  the  plateau,  opposite  the  tower. 

"There  is  only   one    defect,"  he  remarked,  "in 

that  otherwise  fine  work  of  art.    You  observe  that 

the  bishop's  hand  is  extended  in   blessing  toward 

the  college,  with  the  palm  downward.    Did  you  ever 

-+  15  •«- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

know  a  bishop  to  hold  out  his  hand  in  such  a  posi- 
tion ?  " 

His  air  was  that  of  a  man  who  has  turned  from 
business  to  friendly  and  familiar  discourse  with  a 
sense  of  relief.  They  visited  in  turn  two  red  brick 
buildings  placed  at  some  distance  beyond  and  below 
the  sacred  square,  devoted  to  scientific  and  athletic 
pursuits.  Leigh  wondered  whether  their  position 
symbolised  their  relative  unimportance  to  the  mag- 
nificent hall  upon  the  hill,  and  indicated  a  grudging 
concession  to  the  dominant  scientific  spirit  of  the 
times. 

The  bishop  viewed  the  chemical  apparatus  with 
frank  condescension.  "  This  is  Blake's  laboratory," 
he  explained.  "He  amuses  himself  here  with  ex- 
periments in  odours.  If  people  will  give  money  for 
such  purposes,  I  suppose  we  must  take  it." 

As  they  climbed  slowly  back  to  the  plateau,  he 
went  lightly  from  one  subject  to  another.  His  gospel 
of  affability  had  finally  crystallized,  until  it  seemed 
to  be  contained  in  the  formula  of  the  small  anecdote 
whose  point,  as  often  as  not,  turned  upon  the  foibles 
of  men  of  his  own  profession.  The  effect  upon  his 
listener  was  to  put  him  at  his  ease,  and  to  remove 
entirely  the  impression  which  the  bishop's  expla- 
nation of  his  position  had  made  upon  his  mind. 

"  And  now  we  will  look  at  something  that  more 
nearly  concerns  you,"  said  the  bishop,  as  they  ap- 
proached the  tower.    "  This  large  arch,  by  the  way, 


THE    TOWER 


is  to  figure  in  the  completed  plan  as  aj^orte  cochere. 
It  can  be  opened  right  through  the  tower,  as  you 
may  observe,  and  the  roadway  will  then  extend  from 
the  boulevard  behind  the  college,  across  the  campus, 
through  the  eastern  wing,  and  down  the  slope  to  the 
city  beyond." 

Standing  on  the  steps  beneath  the  shadowing 
archway,  Leigh  caught  a  reflected  glow  of  enthusiasm 
from  his  guide's  prophetic  gaze.  He  was  stirred  by 
an  appreciation  of  the  dream  so  grandly  conceived, 
so  imperfectly  realized,  by  a  divination  of  the  long 
struggle  and  the  many  disappointments. 

"  I  hope  we  may  live  to  see  it,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  You  may  —  you  may,"  the  bishop  replied,  with 
a  touch  of  sadness  in  his  tone.  It  was  like  a  melan- 
choly echo  of  Horace's  Postume,  Postume.  "  But 
come,"  he  added,  waking  from  his  reverie  with  an 
effort.  "  I  can  scarcely  expect  you  to  take  as  much 
interest  in  this  subject  as  I  do,  as  yet,  though  in 
time  you  may  begin  to  dream  of  it,  too.  Our  goal 
at  present  lies  farther  up." 

He  led  the  way  to  the  second  story,  where  open 
doors  disclosed  glimpses  of  tenantless  rooms. 

"  Professor  Cardington  lives  here,"  he  remarked, 
"  and  you  may  have  the  opposite  suite,  if  you  like. 
The  rooms  are  secluded  and  command  a  fine  view  in 
either  direction.  These  are  the  only  apartments  in 
the  tower,  and  they  are  ordinarily  reserved  for  the 
bachelors  of  the  faculty." 

-i-  17  * 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Leigh  would  fain  have  turned  in  to  examine  the 
rooms  he  then  and  there  decided  to  accept,  but 
the  bishop  continued  to  climb  upward,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  put  aside  his  curiosity  for  the  time.  The 
stone  stairs  had  now  come  to  an  end,  and  were  re- 
placed by  stairs  of  iron,  protected  by  a  railing,  which 
followed  the  walls  through  successive  floors  and  past 
slits  of  windows  that  framed  distant  views  of  the 
sunny  landscape  below.  At  last  they  came  to  a  door, 
which  the  bishop  unlocked.  There  was  one  more 
flight  of  stairs,  narrower  and  darker  than  the  others. 
Then  they  raised  a  trapdoor  and  stepped  forth  upon 
the  roof  of  the  tower. 

For  a  few  moments  the  intense  light  of  the  noon- 
day sun  was  dazzling,  and  they  stood  basking  grate- 
fully in  the  warmth  that  presented  a  striking 
contrast  with  the  chill  shadows  from  which  they  had 
emerged.  Leigh  observed  that  he  stood  upon  a  plat- 
form some  fifty  feet  square,  surrounded  by  a  parapet 
that  extended  at  least  a  foot  above  his  head.  This 
wall,  however,  did  not  shut  out  the  prospect  entirely, 
for  the  regular  depressions  of  its  castellated  edge 
formed  a  series  of  embrasures  through  which  it 
was  possible  for  a  man  of  average  height  to  look 
out  over  the  surrounding  country.  The  tiled  floor 
sloped  slightly  toward  each  corner,  where  apertures 
could  be  seen  leading  into  four  long  stone  troughs 
that  spouted  water  in  rainy  weather.  The  enclosure 
collected  and  held  both  the  light  and  the  heat  of 
-+  18  i- 


THE    TOWER 


the  sun,  and  the  bishop  remarked  that  for  some  time 
after  dark  the  tiles  remained  warm  to  the  touch. 

In  the  centre  of  this  space  stood  a  wooden  build- 
ing, or  shed,  twenty-five  feet  square,  painted  a  dark 
red,  its  roof  on  a  level  with  the  height  of  the  outer 
parapet.  The  bishop  opened  the  door  with  another 
key  and  threw  the  windows  wide,  disclosing  a  can- 
vas-hooded telescope  in  the  centre,  chairs  and  tables 
bearing  astronomical  instruments,  and  sidereal  maps 
upon  the  walls.  Then,  as  he  pressed  a  lever,  the 
roof  was  cleft  asunder  till  the  sky  expanded  over- 
head. 

"  Ah,"  he  said,  pleased  with  Leigh's  exclamation 
of  interest.  "  I  thought  this  was  more  in  your  line. 
This  equatorial  telescope  ancj.  sliding  roof  are  the 
gift  of  a  former  alumnus,  left  us  by  a  provision  in 
his  will.  I  had  hoped  he  would  contribute  something 
toward  the  chapel."  His  sigh,  his  abstracted  look, 
showed  how  much  more  acceptable  such  a  gift  would 
have  been.  "  Our  present  chapel  in  the  main  build- 
ing is  more  fitted  for  an  assembly  hall  or  commons. 
Please  God,  we  shall  one  day  worship  Him  in  a  sep- 
arate edifice  more  worthy  of  the  purpose."  He  de- 
pressed the  eye  end  of  the  telescope  until  the  muzzle 
pointed  upward  above  the  parapet  toward  the  sky. 
"  The  shed,"  he  went  on,  "  cannot  be  seen  from 
below.  I  refused  to  allow  an  incongruous  dome  to  be 
built  here,  but  the  sliding  flat  roof  answers  the  pur- 
pose as  well.    You  may  find  a  senior  who  wishes  to 

H-19-K 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

take  astronomy,  but  I  fear  that  most  of  your  effort 
must  be  expended  in  drilling  elementary  mathematics 
into  recalcitrant  freshmen  and  sophomores.  Your 
predecessor  was  a  good  mathematician  as  far  as  he 
went,  but  he  did  n't  go  as  far  as  the  stars.  He  tried 
it  once,  and  fell,  like  Icarus,  into  the  sea.  In  other 
words,  he  published  something  based  upon  insufficient 
data,  I  believe,  which  reflected  no  credit  on  the  col- 
lege.   Then  he  naturally  blamed  the  instrument/ ' 

"I  have  done  something  in  astronomy,"  Leigh 
remarked,  "  and  hope  to  do  more." 

"  Well,  I  must  leave  you  now,"  said  his  conduc- 
tor. "  You  must  come  and  dine  with  us  soon.  I 
would  like  you  to  meet  my  daughter.  Say  a  week 
from  to-night,  at  seven.  I  '11  leave  you  here,  if 
you  wish,  to  examine  the  telescope  further.  Doctor 
Renshaw  will  give  you  all  necessary  information  in 
regard  to  your  rooms,  the  entrance  examinations, 
et  cetera." 

He  had  almost  disappeared  down  the  stairs  as  he 
said  these  words.  Presently  his  head  and  shoulders 
arose  once  more  above  the  roof. 

"  And  here  are  the  keys,"  he  added.  "  What  did 
you  say  your  given  name  was  ?  " 

"Llewellyn,"  Leigh  answered,  surprised  at  the 
abruptness  of  the  question. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  bishop,  chuckling  softly,  "  so  it  is. 
A  good  Welsh  name,  but  Peter  would  be  more  ap- 
propriate under  the  circumstances." 
-H-  20  •»- 


THE    TOWER 


With  this  little  jest,  whose  significance  Leigh  was 
somewhat  slow  in  grasping,  he  once  more  descended 
the  stairs. 

It  was  now  high  noon,  and  Leigh,  left  alone,  paced 
up  and  down  the  large,  sunny  square,  filled  with 
appreciative  thoughts  of  the  bishop.  So  benign 
and  humorous  was  the  presence  of  the  man  that  for 
some  time  his  influence  survived  his  actual  depar- 
ture and  precluded  other  thoughts.  In  a  reactionary 
glow  of  hope  and  confidence  the  young  astrono- 
mer traversed  the  circumference  of  his  lofty  eyrie, 
pausing  from  time  to  time  to  gaze  through  one  of 
the  embrasures  of  the  parapet  upon  the  incompar- 
able scene  below.  Accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  arid 
glory  of  California,  he  found  a  grateful  refreshment 
in  this  far  greener  country.  The  tower  was  like  a 
Pisgah,  from  which  he  gazed  upon  the  promised  land 
with  eyes  that  wearied  of  the  desert. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  III 


CARDINGTON 


JLjEIGH  stood  before  the  mirror  in  his  bedroom 
and  wrestled  with  his  tie  in  preparation  for  the 
bishop's  dinner.  The  week  had  brought  in  due 
course  that  procession  of  events  which  makes  the 
opening  of  a  college  term  a  period  of  exceptional 
activity,  but  for  the  first  time  he  had  passed  through 
the  trial  untaxed.  He  was  slowly  recovering  from 
a  sense  of  disappointment  similar  to  that  felt  by  a 
metropolitan  at  some  Arcadian  retreat,  when  he 
stands  on  the  lonely  platform  at  nightfall,  listening 
to  the  trilling  of  the  frogs  increasing  as  the  rumble 
of  the  train  diminishes  in  the  distance,  and  experi- 
ences a  wild  impulse  to  return  at  once  to  the  fulness 
of  life  from  which  he  has  fled. 

In  the  ample  leisure  afforded  by  his  new  posi- 
tion Leigh  discovered  an  analogous  consciousness  of 
loss,  with  its  consequent  dismay.  He  had  known 
many  solitary  hours  when,  as  a  student  in  the  Lick 
Observatory,  he  had  searched  the  skies  for  long 
months  together ;  but  the  experience  was  overlaid  by 
one  more  recent,  so  that  now,  with  the  varied  life 
of  a  great  university  still  ringing  in  his  ears,  he 
-+  22  +- 


CARDINGTON 


looked  about  and  asked  himself  disconsolately  if 
this  were  all.  Had  he  plumbed  the  possibilities  of 
the  place  in  so  short  a  time?  And,  if  so,  what  was 
left  for  him  in  the  year  to  come  ? 

An  answer  to  this  question  was  suggested  by  his 
present  occupation.  If  he  could  now  and  again  leave 
the  rarefied  atmosphere  of  the  hill  for  some  such 
diversion  as  the  one  in  prospect,  he  would  return 
better  able  to  make  good  use  of  that  solitude  in 
which  real  achievement  is  shaped. 

As  yet  there  seemed  small  chance  that  such  diver- 
sions would  become  sufficiently  numerous  to  inter- 
fere with  his  work.  He  had  met  the  other  nine 
members  of  the  faculty,  and  while  he  found  them 
courteous,  he  became  at  once  aware  that  their  atti- 
tude toward  him  as  a  newcomer  was  one  of  indiffer- 
ence. The  smallness  of  their  number  did  not  operate 
to  draw  them  more  closely  together,  as  might  have 
been  supposed.  Each  returned  to  the  city  at  the 
end  of  his  day's  work,  and  was  lost  to  view  in  his 
own  peculiar  circle.  Some  time,  no  doubt,  their 
social  obligation  to  the  new  professor  in  the  tower 
would  become  imperative,  but  the  time  was  not  yet. 
Meanwhile,  he  felt  himself  regarded  warily,  an  atti- 
tude which  to  his  friendly  Western  nature  seemed  to 
betoken  a  vague  disapprobation.  He  did  not  realise 
that  there  was  nothing  personal  in  this  aloofness, 
except  in  so  far  as  he  personified  a  larger  life,  whose 
hopeful  outlook  stirred  in  more  cabined  natures  an 
-+  23  -H- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

unacknowledged  resentment.  Here  he  found  no 
remnant  of  the  traditional  hospitality  of  the  border- 
land. The  conditions  of  this  old  community  of  spe- 
cialised interests  were  the  opposite  of  those  he  had 
encountered  in  the  West,  where  a  stranger  was 
welcomed  on  the  slim  credentials  of  his  appear- 
ance. 

Leigh  had  been  told  that  the  road  to  promotion 
led  through  the  small  college,  and  he  had  taken 
that  road  hopefully ;  but  now  he  felt  like  one  who 
had  drifted  into  an  eddy  below  the  bank,  while  the 
great  stream  of  the  national  educational  tendency 
went  tossing  and  foaming  past. 

These  unaccustomed  circumstances  gave  an  un- 
wonted significance  to  the  simple  occupation  in 
which  he  was  employed,  and  focussed  his  mind 
expectantly  upon  the  event  which,  in  the  fuller  life 
he  had  left,  would  have  been  accepted  as  a  matter 
of  course. 

His  preparations  completed,  he  donned  his  over- 
coat and  hat,  and  stood  looking  from  his  window 
over  the  valley  toward  the  west.  The  sun  was  set- 
ting in  an  angry  splendour  that  threatened  storms. 
Even  as  he  looked,  the  wind  attained  increased  velo- 
city and  began  to  whine  and  whistle  about  the  solid 
masonry  of  the  tower.  Leigh  drew  in  the  heavy, 
leaded  panes  against  the  possible  beating  of  the  rain. 
He  passed  his  fingers  lightly  down  the  cold  stone 
casement,  thinking  of  its  immense  thickness  and 
-*  24  ••- 


CARDINGTON 


of  the  beauty  of  its  careful  cutting.  Never  had  he 
lived  in  such  rooms.  His  was  an  habitat  fit  for  a 
prince  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  some  glimpse  of 
the  fascination  which  this  secluded  life  might  come 
to  possess  was  given  him  at  that  moment.  Evidently, 
Professor  Cardington,  his  neighbour  across  the  hall, 
had  felt  it  and  succumbed;  else  how  could  a  man 
of  his  extraordinary  talent  have  remained  so  long 
buried,  as  it  were,  from  the  world  ? 

Eevolving  this  mystery  in  his  mind,  he  passed 
into  his  sitting-room  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
building.  It  was  pleasant  to  think  that  Cardington 
was  to  accompany  him  to  the  bishop's,  but  as  it 
was  still  too  soon  to  call  for  him,  he  stood  for  a 
few  moments  looking  down  upon  the  campus.  The 
giant  shadow  of  the  Hall  had  now  crept  to  the  verge 
of  the  plateau.  There  was  no  human  figure  on  its 
bleak  expanse,  but  the  small  trees  which  found  scant 
nourishment  in  the  rock  beneath  swayed  gently  in 
the  broken  wind,  like  a  line  of  sentries  marking 
time.  In  the  centre  of  the  line  the  flagpole  sprang 
up,  thin  and  white,  lifting  the  stars  and  stripes  into 
the  lurid  light  above  the  shadow.  He  could  hear 
the  whipping  of  the  halyards  against  the  pole  ;  but 
suddenly  the  sound  ceased,  the  flag  began  to  flut- 
ter downward  till  its  colours  were  quenched,  and 
only  the  gilded  ball  above  now  caught  the  sun's  last 
rays.  Straining  his  gaze,  he  saw  the  janitor  fold 
up  the  flag  on  the  grass  and  carry  it  within.  Then 
-+  25  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

darkness  seemed  to  fall  like  a  canopy,  beneath  which 
the  lights  of  the  city  trembled  into  view. 

A  moment  later  he  stood  in  Cardington's  doorway, 
and  looked  with  relief  upon  the  sight  presented  to 
his  eyes.  The  flickering  fire  in  the  grate,  the  be- 
wildering congeries  of  books,  statues,  and  furniture, 
were  doubly  homelike  by  contrast  with  Leigh's  late 
vision  of  the  descending  night  without.  The  old  care- 
taker of  the  tower  was  wont  to  say  that  she  never 
knew  a  neater  man  than  Professor  Cardington,  or  a 
more  disorderly  room  than  his.  The  accumulation  of 
articles  in  the  room  seemed  to  symbolise  the  owner's 
mental  furniture,  while  his  personal  neatness  was  a 
habit  acquired  during  his  stay  at  West  Point,  where 
he  had  once  occupied  the  chair  of  a  modern  lan- 
guage. There  was  a  suggestion  of  the  soldier  also  in 
his  unbending  back  as  he  sat  at  his  desk,  so  absorbed 
in  his  work  that  he  did  not  at  first  look  up  to  see 
who  had  answered  his  invitation  to  enter. 

The  face  he  turned  upon  his  visitor  presently  was 
stern  and  grey  in  effect,  like  that  of  a  man  who  has 
seen  service.  His  blue  eyes,  though  pale  in  tone, 
were  brilliant,  as  if  the  intellect  behind  them  burned 
with  steady  intensity  and  force.  Nature  had  con- 
cealed his  true  quality  behind  a  baffling  mask,  for 
there  was  not  a  line  in  his  face  to  hint  of  his  sensi- 
tive spirit,  or  of  the  humorous  moods  that  swept 
over  him  in  unexpected  gusts.  Now  his  aspect 
brightened,  as  from  a  warmth  within. 
-+  26  +- 


CARDINGTON 


"  Come  in,  Mr.  Leigh,"  he  cried  cheerily.  "  Come 
in.  I  thought  it  was  some  student  who  wished  to 
ask  me  what  use  there  was  in  studying  Latin.  I 
am  just  outlining  an  article  on  the  Roman  Forum 
for  the  new  encyclopaedia.  You  might  like  to  see 
Boni's  latest  contribution,  and  the  photographs  I 
took  myself  last  summer." 

He  reached  for  his  meerschaum  pipe,  and  paused 
to  gaze  with  a  smoker's  admiration  at  the  red-brown 
perfection  of  the  polished  bowl.    * 

"  But  you  have  n't  forgotten  the  dinner  ?  "  Leigh 
asked,  perceiving  that  the  other  was  preparing  to 
settle  back  in  his  chair  for  one  of  those  discursive 
talks  in  which  his  guests  delighted. 

"The  dinner  !  I  had  quite  forgotten  it."  And  he 
put  down  the  pipe  with  evident  reluctance.  "  Such 
is  the  power  of  preoccupation." 

"  We  're  a  tall  set  of  men  here,"  Leigh  said,  as 
the  professor  rose  to  his  feet.  "  You  and  the  bishop 
and  I  would  measure  eighteen  feet  or  more,  placed 
one  above  the  other." 

"  Pelion  on  Ossa  !  "  Cardington  cried.  "  How 
much  more  impressive  it  makes  us  seem  than  if  you 
had  merely  stated  that  each  of  us  was  six  feet  tall ! 
It  takes  an  astronomer  to  calculate  great  distances. 
I  quite  compassionate  those  little  fellows,  our  col- 
leagues." His  eyes  twinkled  behind  his  rimless  spec- 
tacles. "  Just  amuse  yourself  with  these  photographs 
awhile.  Not  in  your  line,  perhaps,  but  interesting 
-+  27  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

to  us  glow-worms  that  flit  about  in  ruinous  places. 
I  '11  be  with  you  in  a  few  moments." 

Even  from  the  room  beyond  he  continued  the 
conversation  in  his  own  odd  manner,  passing  to 
antipodal  subjects  by  paths  of  association  beyond 
the  guess  of  an  imagination  less  vagrant  than  his 
own.  With  Cardington  conversation  was  a  fine  art. 
He  loved  the  adequate  or  picturesque  word  as  a 
miner  loves  an  ingot  of  gold,  yet  he  was  able  to 
display  his  linguistic  stores  without  incurring  the 
charge  of  pedantry,  much  as  certain  women  can 
carry  without  offence  clothes  that  would  smother  a 
more  insignificant  personality. 

"We  still  have  a  few  minutes  to  spare,"  he 
announced,  when  he  presently  reappeared.  "Now, 
which  will  you  have,  a  Roman  Catholic,  or  an  Epis- 
copalian, or  a  Presbyterian  beverage,  —  Benedictine, 
port  wine,  or  whiskey  ?  " 

Leigh's  mood  expanded  in  response  to  the  hospi- 
tality. Here  was  a  little  fling  of  the  spirit  of  which 
he  stood  in  need,  a  promise  of  comradeship  that  was 
all  the  more  welcome  from  the  fact  that  his  other 
colleagues  had  kept  him  waiting  in  the  vestibule  of 
their  regard. 

"I'll  drink  your  health  in  a  little  whiskey,"  he 
replied  with  alacrity. 

"  Quite  right,"  Cardington  commented,  produ- 
cing a  bottle  of  Scotch.  "  I  hope  you  '11  find  that 
this  has  the  true  Calvinistic  flavour.  And  here 's  to 
-*  28  +~ 


CARDINGTON 


you  likewise.  May  you  yet  discover  the  length,  the 
depth,  and  the  uses  of  all  the  canals  of  Mars." 
Over  the  rim  of  his  glass  his  eyes  began  to  brighten 
in  a  manner  which  his  guest  already  knew  to  be  a 
prophecy  of  something  good.  "  That  was  an  excel- 
lent jest  of  the  bishop's  you  told  me  of  yesterday, 
calling  you  Peter  when  he  handed  you  the  keys  of 
the  door  that  leads  to  heaven.  Now  what  did  you 
say  in  reply  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  Leigh  confessed.  "  He  did  n't  give 
me  fair  warning  of  what  was  coming." 

"  Then  you  lost  the  opportunity  of  your  life.  If 
you  had  only  said,  '  Thank  you,  my  Lord ! '  Even 
a  Yankee  bishop  would  have  had  no  objection  to 
being  my-lorded,  you  know.  Ah,  that  would  have 
been  the  retort  courteous,  and  the  story  is  incom- 
plete without  it.  By  your  kind  permission  I  shall 
tell  it  with  that  addendum." 

"  A  footnote  by  Professor  Cardington,"  Leigh 
suggested. 

"  No,  no,  not  at  all.  I  '11  work  it  into  the  text  as 
your  own.  The  story  must  go  down  in  history  along 
with  the  classic  jest  in  regard  to  the  position  of  the 
statue's  outstretched  palm.  The  bishop  told  you 
that,  no  doubt,  anticipating  my  own  good  offices." 

"  It  may  interest  you  to  know,"  he  went  on,  as 
they  began  to  descend  the  stairs,  "  that  you  are  to 
meet  a  very  charming  young  lady  to-night.  Miss 
Wycliffe  is  a  very  remarkable  young  woman  in  some 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

respects.  Have  you  yet  had  the  pleasure  of  making 
her  acquaintance  ?  " 

"  What  is  she  like  ?  "  Leigh  asked,  wondering 
whether  the  answer  would  suggest  in  any  way  the 
young  woman  he  had  met  the  morning  of  his 
arrival. 

"  I  shall  not  allow  my  enthusiasm  to  betray  me  into 
an  inadequate  description/'  Cardington  declared. 
"  I  could  no  more  make  the  subject  clear  to  you 
than  you  could  explain  to  me  the  nth.  degree  of 
x  +  z,  if  there  is  any  such  expression  in  algebra, 
which  I  should  n't  be  surprised  to  discover  is  the 
case." 

"  Then  I  shall  have  to  possess  my  soul  in  pa- 
tience," Leigh  answered,  with  apparent  indifference. 

When  they  emerged  from  the  shadow  of  the 
Hall,  and  plunged  between  the  lines  of  maples,  they 
were  obliged  to  go  in  single  file,  for  the  narrowness 
of  the  way.  The  young  mathematician  glanced  at 
the  last  melancholy  glow  of  the  sunset  which  spread 
out  in  a  faint,  fan-shaped  aurora  above  a  dun  ram- 
part of  clouds.  His  love  of  nature  was  no  less  keen 
than  his  appreciation  of  people  and  events.  The 
mathematician  and  the  poet  held  alternate  sway 
over  him.  This  di-psychic  quality  was  evidenced  by 
the  rapidity  with  which  the  expression  of  his  eye 
would  frequently  change  from  cold  calculation  to  a 
certain  rapt  observation,  as  if  he  looked  up  from  a 
complicated  problem  to  contemplate  a  glimpse  of 
-+  30  +- 


CARDINGTON 


blue  distance.  Thus  it  was  that  he  appreciated  to 
the  full  the  panorama  spread  out  before  him,  though 
his  mind  was  intent  upon  another  subject ;  or  rather, 
it  might  be  said  that  the  sight  gave  warmth  and 
colouring  to  his  thought.  He  had  passed  the  place 
of  that  first  meeting  several  times  during  the  week, 
and  never  without  a  vivid  remembrance  of  it.  If 
the  young  woman  who  had  made  such  an  impression 
upon  him  were  the  bishop's  daughter,  why  had  he 
not  seen  her  in  the  interim,  at  the  initial  service 
in  the  chapel  when  visitors  were  present,  upon  the 
grounds,  or  in  the  streets  of  the  city  ?  Perhaps  she 
had  been  away,  and  had  just  returned.  At  all  events, 
he  should  know  before  long. 

Of  one  thing  he  felt  assured.  If  Miss  Wycliffe 
turned  out  to  be  some  one  else,  she  would  hold  no 
interest  for  him,  not  even  if  she  possessed  all  the 
indescribable  qualities  of  which  Cardington  had 
hinted.  Speculating  upon  this  possibility,  he  scarcely 
listened  now  to  the  words  of  his  companion  swing- 
ing on  ahead,  as  they  came  brokenly  to  his  ears  in 
the  gusts  of  wind. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   BISHOP'S   DAUGHTER 

J.  HE  bishop's  house  was  situated  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  college  on  Birdseye  Avenue,  the 
principal  residence  street  of  Warwick.  A  forest 
aisle  and  city  thoroughfare  combined,  this  vista  of 
ancient  elms  suggested  the  inspiration  of  those 
Gothic  cathedrals  of  the  Old  World  from  whose 
associations  and  influence  the  Puritans  had  fled 
away.  During  their  transit  beneath  this  splendid 
nave,  Cardington  entertained  his  companion  with 
an  account  of  the  house  they  were  to  visit,  its 
history  and  architectural  pretensions.  In  sharp  dis- 
tinction to  the  prevalent  style  of  building,  the 
episcopal  residence  suggested  a  Tudor  palace.  Its 
pointed  windows,  its  dentilated  battlements,  its 
miniature  turrets,  would  have  been  impressive  on 
a  larger  scale,  in  stone,  but  being  of  wood,  in  a 
reduced  proportion,  they  appeared  an  inadequate 
plagiarism,  which  not  even  the  extensive  grounds 
could  shield  from  criticism.  Seen  at  night-time, 
however,  the  counterfeit  was  far  less  glaring.  The 
form,  rather  than  the  material,  attracted  the  eye ; 
the  ecclesiastical  windows  glimmering  among  the 
-►  32  H- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

trees,  the  antique  lantern  in  the  vestibule,  which 
concealed  behind  its  powdered  glass  a  modern  elec- 
tric bulb,  the  turrets,  dimly  discerned  by  the  light 
from  the  avenue,  combined  to  make  an  appeal  to  the 
historical  imagination. 

To  Leigh,  seeing  the  house  thus  for  the  first  time, 
it  appeared  a  peculiarly  appropriate  habitat  for 
Bishop  Wycliffe ;  for  he  was  one  that  carried  the 
stamp  of  his  profession  in  his  very  bearing,  and  in 
every  lineament  of  his  face.  It  was  more  difficult 
to  imagine  a  young  and  charming  woman  housed  in 
such  a  place,  but  his  first  glimpse  of  the  bishop's 
daughter  showed  him  that  her  Pagan  beauty  was 
emphasized  rather  than  lessened  by  contrast  with 
her  surroundings. 

She  was  sitting  in  the  drawing-room  to  the  left 
of  the  entrance  hall,  bending  over  a  book.  If  she 
heard  the  entrance  of  her  visitors  into  the  hall,  she 
made  no  sign,  but  kept  her  eyes  bent  upon  her 
novel,  the  left-hand  side  of  which,  supported  on  her 
knee,  had  grown  to  the  thickness  of  half  an  inch. 
Only  a  few  pages  remained  unread,  half  lifted  on 
the  other  side,  above  which  her  ivory  paper  knife 
hung  suspended.  Clothed  in  a  yellow  gown  and 
sitting  in  a  flood  of  yellow  light  that  radiated 
from  the  shaded  lamp  beside  her,  she  presented 
an  extraordinarily  vivid  picture  against  the  brown 
panelling  of  the  wall.  Even  in  repose  one  divined 
the  suppressed  energy  of  the  figure,  a  quality  indi- 
-+  33  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

cated  by  the  almost  imperceptible  movement  of  the 
small  slipper  that  peeped  beyond  the  border  of  her 
gown,  and  by  the  gentle  heaving  of  the  lace  at  her 
throat.  Yet  there  was  something  in  the  graceful 
abandon  of  her  attitude  reminiscent  of  the  women 
of  the  South. 

So  struck  was  Leigh  by  this  picture,  and  by  the 
fact  that  his  hope  of  meeting  again  the  goddess  of 
the  maple  walk  was  about  to  be  realized,  that  Card- 
ington  was  well  on  his  way  up  the  stairs  before  he 
hurried  in  pursuit.  Unawake  himself  to  modern  art 
tendencies,  he  felt,  without  conscious  reflection  or 
comparison,  the  old-fashioned  appearance  of  the 
house.  The  severe,  dark  paper  on  the  wall,  the 
steel  engravings  that  had  hung  for  years  untouched, 
were  evidently  as  the  bishop's  wife,  or  as  one  belong- 
ing to  a  still  earlier  generation,  had  placed  them. 
They  proclaimed  a  reverence  for  old  associations,  or 
the  indifference  of  an  unmarried  daughter  to  the 
artistic  possibilities  of  a  house  that  was  not  of  her 
own  choosing. 

The  room  into  which  they  entered  appeared  to 
be  the  bishop's  own,  or  a  guest  chamber.  At  least, 
there  was  no  suggestion  of  the  feminine  in  the  fur- 
niture, or  in  the  ecclesiastical  pictures  that  adorned 
the  walls.  Even  the  military  brushes  on  the  bureau 
possessed  an  episcopal  dignity  of  size  and  weight, 
and  the  two  tall  candles  in  their  massive  silver  can- 
dlesticks glimmered  like  altar  lights. 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

"  There 's  plenty  of  atmosphere  in  this  place/' 
Leigh  remarked,  as  he  stood  before  the  mirror  and 
applied  the  brushes  to  his  hair,  which,  because  of  its 
thickness,  was  invariably  disordered  by  the  lifting 
of  his  hat.  "I  mean  atmosphere  in  the  modern  fic- 
tional sense.  It  seems  to  me  I  saw  a  duplicate  of 
that  four-posted  monstrosity  of  a  bed  at  the  Expo- 
sition this  summer." 

"  I  love  to  come  in  contact  with  the  fresh,  unpre- 
judiced view  of  the  West,"  Cardington  returned. 
"I've  no  doubt  you  are  calculating  the  number 
of  microbes  that  ancient  piece  of  furniture  could 
accommodate,  and  thinking  that  a  brass  bedstead 
would  be  much  more  sanitary." 

"  You  do  me  injustice,"  Leigh  retorted  good-hu- 
mouredly.  "  Even  scientists  have  their  unprofes- 
sional moments.  I  was  just  reminded  of  a  story  I 
once  read  of  a  bed  of  that  kind  with  a  movable 
canopy  that  came  down  in  the  night  and  smothered 
the  occupant." 

"Excellent,"  said  Cardington.  "The  thing  was 
worked,  as  I  remember,  from  the  room  above,  and 
was  used  by  the  robber  host  to  persuade  his  guest? 
to  part  peaceably  with  their  valuables.  But  I  fear 
that  you  are  going  to  show  an  irreverent  attitude  of 
mind  toward  the  local  divinities." 

"  And  what  may  they  be  ?  " 

"  Two  in  particular,  an  alliterative  couple,  Family 
and  Furniture." 

-+  35  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Why  not  add  Folly  to  the  number  ? "  Leigh 
suggested. 

"An  instinct  of  self-preservation  should  prevent 
such  an  addition.  That  might  be  as  injudicious  as 
it  would  have  been  for  some  bright  young  man  in 
ancient  Egypt,  five  thousand  years  before  the  Chris- 
tian era,  to  express  a  doubt  concerning  the  divinity 
of  the  sacred  bull.  The  correctness  of  his  conjecture 
would  not  have  saved  him  from  a  horrible  death  at 
the  hands  of  the  faithful."  And  he  began  to  lead 
the  way  downstairs. 

As  they  entered  the  drawing-room,  Miss  Wycliffe 
closed  her  book  with  satisfied  emphasis  and  rose 
to  meet  them.  The  bishop  was  there  also,  standing 
in  the  background  and  waiting  his  turn.  His  eyes 
were  on  his  daughter  rather  than  on  his  guests,  with 
a  pride  that  was  evident  at  even  a  casual  glance. 
Again  Leigh  encountered  that  look  which  had  so 
deeply  attracted  him.  Her  eyes  were  very  dark, 
and  almost  misty  in  their  warm  light,  as  if  she  were 
somewhat  dazed  by  long  perusal  of  the  printed  page. 
She  possessed  also  that  mark  of  feminine  beauty  so 
prized  by  the  ancients,  a  low  forehead,  and  there 
was  a  suggestion  of  the  classic  in  the  arrangement 
of  her  hair.  He  found  her  smile  peculiarly  winning, 
and  was  conscious  of  the  responsiveness  of  her  fin- 
gers, so  different  from  the  limp  passivity  of  many 
a  feminine  greeting.  Though  not  more  given  to 
self-importance   than  the  average  young   man,  he 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

was  somehow  aware  that  she  too  remembered  their 
first  casual  encounter.  Her  failure  to  mention  it  now 
served  only  to  invest  it  with  the  greater  significance. 

"Miss  Felicity/ '  Cardington  began,  when  they 
had  become  seated,  "  I  suspect  that  you  were  racing 
against  time,  endeavouring,  in  fact,  to  finish  that 
book  before  our  arrival  should  interrupt  you." 

"  You  would  not  have  been  welcome  a  moment 
sooner,' '  she  admitted. 

"  Felicity  is  a  deep  student  in  shallow  literature," 
the  bishop  put  in  epigrammatically. 

"  As  if  Zola  were  ever  shallow,"  she  said.  "I'll 
leave  it  with  Mr.  Leigh." 

"  You  can  search  me  for  an  opinion,"  he  replied ; 
and  in  the  breezy  colloquialism  of  the  expression, 
no  less  than  in  a  certain  vividness  of  manner,  his 
isolation  from  the  others  became  apparent.  "My 
French  reading  is  mostly  confined  to  astronomical 
monographs." 

"  Miss  Felicity,"  Cardington  interposed,  with  an 
elaborate  and  old-fashioned  gallantry  that  became 
him,  "  Mr.  Leigh  is  a  student  of  stars,  and  therefore 
he  is  more  concerned  with  the  reader  than  with  the 
book.  If  you  will  persist  in  shining  upon  him  so 
dazzlingly,  you  cannot  be  surprised  if  he  turns  an 
unseeing  eye  upon  any  object  you  may  present  for 
his  inspection.  Now,  since  I  have  basked  longer  in 
your  light,  I  may  perhaps  —  allow  me."  He  reached 
for  the  book  and  began  to  turn  over  the  leaves. 
-+  37  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

She  watched  his  growing  absorption  with  indulgent 
amusement,  and  the  comradeship  of  the  two  omniv- 
orous readers  was  evident.  Cardington  was  frankly 
reading,  oblivious  of  his  hosts,  a  liberty  which  indi- 
cated his  familiar  standing  in  that  house. 

"  I  have  a  weakness  for  polymathists  of  the  old 
school,"  the  bishop  remarked,  harking  back  to  his 
guest's  confession  of  narrower  interest's,  "of  which 
class  I  may  say  that  Professor  Cardington  is  almost 
the  only  example  within  my  range  of  observation. 
I  have  noticed  that  Latin  is  becoming  as  strange  to 
the  average  graduate  as  Eliot's  Indian  Bible." 

"  But  Latin  does  n't  help  the  modern  world  to 
build  railroads,  or  battleships,  or  motor  cars,"  Leigh 
suggested,  by  way  of  presenting  the  opposite  view. 

"  Always  the  argument  of  utility,"  the  bishop  re- 
turned, with  mournful  resignation.  "  But  how  have 
modern  inventions  added  to  the  beauty  or  the  dig- 
nity of  human  life  ?  Man  is  mastered  and  slain  by 
his  own  inventions,  and  a  skyscraper  reduces  him  to 
the  proportions  of  an  ant." 

"I  am  tempted  to  mention  cathedrals  as  having 
rather  a  dwarfing  effect  upon  their  builders,"  Leigh 
said. 

"  I  should  hope  so  !  Better  to  be  dwarfed  by  the 
magnificence  of  a  temple  of  the  Lord  than  by  the 
hideous  hugeness  of  a  temple  of  trade."  The  bish- 
op's dry  smile  indicated  that  he  had  scored. 

His  antagonist  laughed  outright,  with  a  keen 
-+--  ft .+- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

appreciation  of  the  fact  that  his  comparison  had 
given  the  bishop  the  very  opportunity  he  desired. 
It  seemed  that  circumstances  rather  than  conviction 
had  forced  him  into  his  present  championship  of  the 
useful.  Miss  Wycliffe's  appeal  had  brought  out  the 
confession  of  a  special  interest,  which  had  stamped 
him  unduly.  In  addition,  the  section  of  the  country 
from  which  he  came  was  against  him.  The  bishop 
was  not  without  his  prejudices,  and  was  disposed  to 
father  all  the  materialistic  spirit  of  the  age  upon  his 
guest,  whether  or  no.  He  had  noted  that  lapse  into 
slang,  and  his  attitude  had  become  like  that  of  the 
loiterers  in  the  hall  of  Caiaphas,  the  high  priest. 
Had  his  thought  become  vocal,  it  would  have  run 
like  a  garbled  version  of  their  triumphant  charge 
against  St.  Peter :  "  Thou  art  a  Westerner,  and  thy 
speech  bewrayeth  thee." 

His  daughter  had  been  a  mere  observer  of  the  little 
tilt  she  had  unwittingly  precipitated,  and  now,  as 
she  saw  the  younger  champion  go  down  so  gaily,  she 
was  moved  by  his  spirit  to  sympathetic  participation. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  father,"  she  interposed,  "  that  you 
and  Mr.  Leigh  are  like  the  two  knights  who  came  to 
blows  over  the  colour  of  a  shield  that  was  white  on 
one  side  and  black  on  the  other." 

"You  are  quite  right,  my  dear,"  he  replied  grace- 
fully, "  and  as  I  see  that  dinner  is  served,  I  will  take 
this  opportunity  to  dismount  from  my  hobby  for  a 
little  refreshment." 

-*  39  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  You  must  let  me  take  this  book  with  me  when  I 
go,"  Cardington  begged,  rising  from  its  perusal  with 
evident  reluctance. 

"It  must  lie  on  Mrs.  Parr's  table  for  a  month 
first/'  she  replied.  "  I  promised  to  let  her  pretend  to 
read  it." 

"  I  call  that  a  wicked  speech,"  he  reproved. 
"  Where  is  that  charity  which  your  father  has 
striven  to  inculcate  in  your  heart  ?  " 

She  slipped  the  book  into  a  large  Satsuma  vase, 
with  a  sidelong  glance  at  Leigh.  Cardington  ac- 
cepted the  act  with  a  meek  acquiescence  that  rested 
comically  upon  him  and  proclaimed  his  chains. 

Had  Leigh  been  asked  subsequently  to  give  a 
description  of  the  dishes  of  which  he  partook  that 
evening,  he  would  have  made  a  sorry  showing,  for  he 
was  conscious  only  of  his  hostess,  and  intoxicated  by 
a  divination  of  her  consciousness  of  him.  Cardington 
and  the  bishop  were  the  chief  talkers,  and  as  the 
conversation  presently  turned  to  purely  local  affairs, 
of  which  Leigh  had  as  yet  scant  knowledge,  he  was 
rather  pleased  than  otherwise  to  become  a  listener 
and  observer.  In  this  divided  attitude  of  mind  his 
observation  was  chiefly  engaged.  He  noted  particu- 
larly the  string  of  gold  beads  which  Miss  Wycliffe 
wore,  and  their  reflection  against  her  throat  reminded 
him  of  a  children's  game,  which  consisted  in  holding 
a  buttercup  beneath  the  chin  of  a  companion. 

Distracted  by  the  furtive  contemplation  of  such 
-+  40  -i- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

minutiae,  he  gradually  became  aware  of  the  fact 
that  the  talk  between  Cardington  and  the  bishop 
had  lost  the  tone  of  suavity  that  characterized  its 
beginning. 

"  No  other  engagement  shall  interfere  with  my 
voting  on  that  day,"  the  bishop  declared,  with  grim 
emphasis.  "  We  must  dispose  of  this  fellow's  pre- 
tensions once  for  all.  It  is  preposterous  that  a  pro- 
fessional baseball  player  and  street-car  conductor 
should  aspire  to  become  mayor  of  Warwick.  An 
orator  ?  Nonsense  !  Just  a  paltry  gift  of  the  gab. 
Balaam's  is  n't  the  only  ass  whose  mouth  the  Lord 
in  his  inscrutable  wisdom  has  seen  fit  to  open." 

Leigh  suddenly  awoke  to  the  fact  that  a  situation 
had  developed  during  his  absorption,  and  that  both 
men  were  looking  at  Miss  Wycliffe,  the  bishop 
defiantly,  Cardington  with  an  odd  expression  of 
concern.  That  she  was  affected  by  her  father's 
announcement  and  manner  was  evidenced  in  the 
gleam  of  cold  resentment  with  which  she  met  his 
look,  but  in  a  moment  the  light  was  gone,  leaving 
her  eyes  as  mysterious  as  a  deep  pool  in  the  woods 
at  twilight. 

"Now,  bishop,"  Cardington  protested,  "I  was 
merely  trying  to  express  the  fact  that  there  is  a 
certain  facility  in  this  young  Emmet's  utterances 
which  belongs  to  his  nation.  Perhaps  we  ought  to 
appreciate  our  opportunity  to  watch  here  in  Warwick 
the  development  of  a  second  Edmund  Burke." 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

It  was  Miss  Wycliffe  herself  who  gave  Leigh  the 
clue,  and  so  apparently  spontaneous  was  her  amuse- 
ment as  she  turned  to  him  that  he  began  to  doubt 
his  first  impression  of  a  far  different  emotion. 

"  This  house  is  divided  against  itself,"  she  ex- 
plained, "  into  two  political  camps.  I  must  try  to 
convert  you  to  my  Democratic  point  of  view,  for 
just  at  present  I  am  outnumbered  two  to  one." 

"Not  two  to  one,"  Cardington  objected.  "Say 
rather  that  the  forces  are  drawn  up  in  the  propor- 
tion of  one  and  a  half  to  one  and  a  half.  I  stand  in 
the  ambiguous  position  of  the  peacemaker,  inclining 
now  this  way,  now  that,  and  receiving  in  turn  the 
whacks  of  each  contestant.  I  have  been  compelled 
to  accept  on  faith  the  reward  that  Scripture  promises 
to  such  as  myself,  for  it  has  not  yet  materialized  to 
any  appreciable  extent." 

"There's  more  truth  than  poetry  in  that,"  she 
answered,  laughing.  "  Poor  Mr.  Cardington's  olive 
branch  has  proved  a  boomerang  to  himself,  I  fear." 

It  pleased  the  bishop  to  be  blandly  diverted  by 
these  sallies,  though  it  was  evident  that  his  mind* 
had  set  so  strongly  in  one  direction  as  to  require 
an  effort  on  his  part  to  turn  it  aside.  However,  he 
was  not  one  to  exhibit  a  family  difference  before 
a  stranger,  when  once  recalled  to  his  senses,  and  the 
topic  that  had  elicited  these  few  scintillations  of 
feeling  was  dropped  by  common  consent. 

Presently  Miss  Wycliffe  drew  Leigh  on  to  talk  of 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

astronomy,  of  the  Lick  Observatory,  of  California, 
its  climate,  its  products,  and  its  people,  subjects 
upon  which  he  alone  of  the  company  possessed 
knowledge  at  first  hand.  He  was  impressed  by  his 
auditors'  ignorance  of  all  that  country  which  lies 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  a  realisation  of  the 
bishop's  sceptical  attitude  aroused  him  to  partisan 
enthusiasm.  Their  conception  of  the  West  was  as 
inadequate  as  the  average  Englishman's  conception 
of  America.  Some  few  people  they  had  known  who 
had  gone  out  to  California  for  their  health,  and  in 
a  general  way  they  appreciated  the  fact  that  the 
fruits  and  flowers  of  the  coast  were  of  peculiar  size 
and  beauty;  but,  after  all,  the  place  seemed  to 
them  more  a  colony  of  the  United  States  than  an 
integral  part  of  the  country,  a  place  of  such  decidedly 
inferior  interest  to  Europe  that  any  time  in  the  dim 
future  would  do  for  its  inspection. 

u  Miss  Wycliffe,"  he  ended,  u  your  interest  has 
betrayed  me  into  making  a  bore  of  myself." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  she  returned,  "  I  shall  take 
the  very  first  opportunity  of  going  out  to  California. 
I  shall  be  ashamed  to  go  to  Switzerland  again 
without  the  Sierras  as  a  background  of  comparison. 
And  in  the  mean  time  I  intend  to  begin  the  study 
of  astronomy.  I  thought  it  would  be  jolly  to  bring 
up  a  party  some  evening  to  look  through  the  tele- 
scope." 

"  By  all  means  !  "  he  cried. 
-H-  43  -«- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  I  have  yet  to  see  the  day,"  said  Cardington, 
"  when  Miss  Felicity  will  do  me  the  honour  of  beg- 
ging the  loan  of  a  Latin  grammar." 

"I  call  that  ungrateful/'  she  returned.  "Did  n't  I 
tramp  all  over  the  Roman  Forum  with  you  one  boil- 
ing afternoon,  while  you  explained  that  we  had  n't 
strayed  into  a  stone  quarry,  as  I  had  supposed  ?  " 

"  So  you  did,"  he  admitted.  "  That  was  a  pleasant 
little  archaeological  giro,  and  you  showed  yourself 
upon  that  occasion  to  be  an  audience  of  great  en- 
durance." 

This  was  only  one  indication  Leigh  had  received 
of  mutual  experiences  and  interests  between  the  two, 
yet,  bewitched  though  he  was,  the  discovery  aroused 
no  uneasiness  within  him.  It  was  not  only  that  he 
mentally  exaggerated  his  colleague's  age.  His  source 
of  comfort  was  deeper,  and  lay  in  Miss  Wycliffe's 
attitude  of  comradeship  toward  her  old  friend.  It 
seemed  that  such  an  attitude  must  preclude  romance, 
at  least  on  her  part.  No  man  situated  as  he  was 
could  have  avoided  the  speculation  that  now  ab- 
sorbed him  in  regard  to  the  possible  rivalry  of 
another.  In  the  end  he  decided  that  Cardington's 
gaze,  when  it  lingered  upon  his  hostess,  betrayed 
reminiscence  rather  than  hope. 

It  chanced  that  the  dinner  was  followed  by  a 
wedding,  one  of  those  forlorn  ceremonies  some- 
times performed  in  the  houses  of  the  clergy  between 
those  who  seem  to  have  no  kin  or  friends  or  home 
-H-  44  +- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

of  their  own.  The  bishop  summoned  his  guests  as 
witnesses,  and  as  Leigh  took  the  seat  which  Miss 
Wycliffe  made  for  him  beside  her,  he  was  struck 
by  the  impression  which  this  not  unusual  incident 
appeared  to  make  upon  her  mind.  She  sat  with  her 
chin  resting  upon  the  palm  of  her  hand,  in  absorbed, 
almost  pained,  contemplation,  as  if  the  actual  scene 
were  merely  the  starting-point  of  a  long  journey  of 
the  imagination. 

In  fact,  there  was  nothing  intrinsically  interesting 
in  the  couple  before  them.  They  possessed  not  even 
the  picturesqueness  of  speech  and  costume  which 
belongs  to  the  plebeian  orders  of  older  civilizations. 
These  were  the  people  that  seemed  to  justify 
Schopenhauer's  cynical  contention  concerning  the 
economy  of  Nature,  who  invests  youth  with  just 
enough  transient  beauty  to  ensure  the  perpetuation 
of  the  race,  making  men  and  women  serve  her 
purpose  under  the  delusion  that  they  are  free  agents 
and  ministers  to  their  own  pleasure.  Here  were  no 
pomp  and  circumstance  to  interpose  their  false 
colours  before  the  sordid  vista  of  the  future.  It 
lay  glaringly  before  the  imagination  of  the  onlook- 
ers ;  and  to  avoid  depths  of  spiritual  depression,  they 
had  need  to  remind  themselves  of  the  happy  blind- 
ness of  those  that  moved  their  pity. 

Leigh  might  perhaps  have  indulged  in  far  other 
thoughts  had  the  wedding  been  of  a  different 
character,  or  had  he  perceived  any  suggestion  of  a 
-+  45  1- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

romantic  mood  in  the  woman  at  his  side.  Quick  to 
feel  an  atmosphere,  he  found  that  he  had  caught 
from  her  a  sombre  view.  How  deeply  she  thought 
or  felt  he  could  only  guess,  but  hers  was  a  person- 
ality that  suggested  depth,  and  the  far  sadness  of 
her  gaze  shut  the  door  between  them  which  he  had 
supposed  about  to  open  wider.  The  bishop  turned 
unexpectedly. 

"  The  groom  has  forgotten  the  ring,"  he  said  to 
his  daughter.    "  Will  you  lend  him  yours  ?  " 

She  glanced  quickly  at  her  hands,  and  a  delicate 
colour  crept  into  her  face. 

"  I  must  have  left  it  in  my  room,"  she  answered. 
She  made  no  motion  to  go  for  it,  and,  turning  from 
her  with  a  hint  of  impatience,  he' drew  his  seal  ring 
from  his  finger. 

The  incident,  slight  as  it  was,  assumed  unusual 
significance  in  the  minds  of  the  spectators,  and 
gave  the  ceremony  a  tone  akin  to  comedy.  Perhaps 
they  enjoyed  the  bishop's  impatience,  the  sight  of 
the  episcopal  ring  upon  the  girl's  finger ;  or  it  may 
be  that  these  things  reminded  them  of  the  porten- 
tous solemnity  into  which  they  had  sunk.  Miss 
Wycliffe  especially  seemed  to  welcome  the  diversion, 
and  showed  an  ebullient  vivacity  when  she  offered 
her  congratulations,  which  Leigh  had  not  previously 
observed  in  her. 

It  was  the  bishop,  however,  and  not  his  daughter, 
who  saved  the  situation  for  the  embarrassed  couple 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

he  had  just  made  man  and  wife.  It  was  he  who 
ordered  wine  and  cake,  and  drank  their  happiness 
with  a  genuine  humanity  that  took  no  reckoning  of 
class  in  life's  common  experiences.  This  was  the 
quality  that  had  won  him  love  when,  as  a  clergyman, 
the  homelier  duties  of  his  profession  had  claimed 
more  of  his  time.  Even  those  not  of  his  own  com- 
munion often  came  to  him  for  such  services  as  the 
present,  with  a  feeling  that  he  gave  dignity  and 
reality  to  the  ceremony.  Observing  the  luminous 
kindliness  of  his  smile,  one  might  well  infer  that  he 
was  reminded  of  the  marriage  at  Cana  of  Galilee, 
and  that  he  desired  to  make  this  incident  as  bright 
a  spot  as  possible  in  two  lives  which  would  doubtless 
know  more  of  burden-bearing  than  of  joy.  Nor  was 
he  content  with  this  attention  alone.  Chancing  to 
remember  the  carnations  that  had  stood  on  the  table 
at  dinner,  he  brought  them  with  his  own  hands, 
wiping  the  long  stems  with  his  handkerchief  before 
presenting  them  to  the  bride. 

When  they  were  gone,  his  glance  fell  upon  an  en- 
velope which  the  groom  had  left  unnoticed  on  the 
piano. 

"  Look  at  this,"  he  said,  drawing  forth  a  two- 
dollar  bill.  "  Why  did  n't  I  see  him  do  that  in 
time  ?  At  least,  I  am  grateful  that  he  did  n't  attempt 
to  pay  me  at  parting,  while  in  the  act  of  shaking 
hands."  His  eyes  twinkled  deeply.  U  You  have  no 
idea  what  a  shock  it  is  to  feel  a  crisp  bill  crinkling 
-i-  47  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

in  your  palm  at  such  a  moment.  But  come,  gentle- 
men. Our  post-prandial  smoke  has  been  too  long 
postponed." 

"  Why  not  leave  Mr.  Leigh  to  smoke  his  cigarette 
with  me  ?  "  Miss  Wycliffe  suggested.  "  We  have  n't 
yet  had  a  chance  to  become  acquainted." 

This  proposition,  which  filled  the  young  man 
with  surprise  and  exhilaration,  seemed  nothing  un- 
usual to  the  other  two,  and  they  went  off  without 
remark,  perhaps  not  unwilling  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  chat  alone. 

Miss  Wycliffe  took  the  chair  in  which  Leigh  had 
seen  her  at  his  entering.  She  held  no  fancy  work 
in  her  hands,  but  toyed  gracefully  with  the  ivory 
cimeter  which  had  separated  the  leaves  of  her  novel. 
He  was  reminded  of  the  episode  of  the  ring  by 
observing  that  she  wore  no  jewelry  except  the  string 
of  gold  beads,  and  wondered  whether  she  had  a  phi- 
losophical contempt  for  such  adornment.  If  it  were 
a  matter  of  taste,  as  indeed  it  must  be,  her  instinct, 
he  felt,  was  singularly  correct,  for  such  adventitious 
aids  could  add  nothing  to  her  beauty.  They  were 
rather  the  final  dependence  of  wrinkled  dowagers. 
As  he  watched  her  through  the  smoke  of  his  ciga- 
rette, chatting  still  of  the  wedding,  he  was  aware 
that  she  appeared  conscious  of  the  voices  whose 
intonations  rose  and  fell  beyond  the  study  door. 
Presently  the  sound  was  varied  by  a  hearty  laugh. 

"  I  've  no  doubt  they  have  gone  back  to  politics," 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

she  remarked.  Her  words  recalled  the  conversation 
at  the  table,  which  he  had  by  this  time  forgotten. 

"This  is  a  good  opportunity  to  carry  out  your 
promise  to  convert  me  to  your  point  of  view/'  he 
answered,  "  and  I  am  quite  prepared  to  be  converted. 
Being  a  Mugwump,  the  mere  name  of  a  party  holds 
no  superstitious  sway  over  my  imagination.  Still, 
my  support,  like  your  own,  must  be  purely  senti- 
mental, for  I  have  no  vote  in  Warwick.  I  have 
heard  just  enough  to  arouse  my  curiosity  and  inter- 
est.   Who  is  this  Mr.  Burke  ?  " 

"Emmet,"  she  corrected.  "  Mr.  Cardington  would 
have  his  jest  in  comparing  him  with  Burke.  You 
noticed,  perhaps,  that  they  were  more  or  less  bait- 
ing  me  c 

"  I  suspected  something  like  it." 

"  Mr.  Emmet  is  a,  protege  of  mine,"  she  explained 
frankly,  "  who  is  trying  to  break  the  power  of  the 
Republican  ring  that  has  ruled  Warwick  since  the 
war." 

"  I  see,"  he  nodded.  "  One  of  those  struggles 
against  municipal  corruption  that  are  such  a  hope- 
ful sign  of  the  times.  It  seems  strange  that  in  tho 
management  of  our  cities  alone  our  form  of  govern- 
ment has  been  a  failure.  But  we  have  lighted  upon 
a  hobby  of  mine,  and  I  must  n't  begin  to  ride  it." 

"  Then  you  will  be  interested  in  the  situation," 
she  returned. 

It  was  presently  evident  that  her  own  interest  was 
-H-  49  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

not  that  of  a  student  of  the  science  of  government, 
though  he  was  impressed  by  her  knowledge  of  local 
political  conditions.  The  situation  was  indeed  typi- 
cal :  entrenched  power  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other  a  desire  to  "turn  the  rascals  out."  The  singu- 
larity lay  in  the  fact  that  Miss  Wycliffe,  in  spite 
of  the  prejudice  and  influence  of  her  father,  was 
siding  against  her  own  class.  Leigh  listened  with 
growing  interest  and  wonder  to  her  charges  of 
snobbishness  and  corruption  against  the  Republican 
clique. 

"  You  certainly  love  fair  play/'  he  remarked 
admiringly.  "  Such  an  impersonal  attitude  is  wont 
to  be  claimed  by  men  as  their  own  peculiar  pos- 
session." 

Her  smile  disclaimed  exceptional  credit. 

"  I  'm  not  a  bit  impersonal,  I  assure  you.  I  can't 
abide  Judge  Swigart,  or  his  political  lieutenant, 
Anthony  Cobbens,  a  turkey  gobbler  and  a  wretched 
little  weasel,  even  though  we  are  the  best  of 
friends." 

"  I  see,"  he  said,  greatly  diverted  by  her  admis- 
sion. Her  eyes  fell  beneath  his  too  discriminating 
gaze,  but  she  raised  them  again  with  the  imper- 
sonal calmness  of  an  experienced  woman. 

"  Besides,  as  I  said  before,  Mr.  Emmet  is  a  protege 
of  mine.  I  have  even  loaned  him  books,  and  am 
quite  bent  upon  seeing  his  education  result  in  mak- 
ing him  mayor." 

-+  60  i- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

"  Good  work  !  "  he  cried.  "  I  should  like  to  lend 
a  hand  myself." 

"  Why  don't  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  How  can  I  ?  "  he  retorted.  "  Shall  I  go  out  and 
stump  the  town  ?  " 

"  I  '11  tell  you,"  she  said,  bending  forward  and 
fixing  him  with  a  look  of  discovery.  "  What  Mr. 
Emmet  needs  more  than  anything  else  is  a  friend 
out  of  his  own  class,  some  one  like  yourself,  who 
could  correct  his  perspective  a  little.  How  shall  I 
explain  it?  He  seems  in  danger  of  becoming  a 
demagogue,  and  of  resting  his  case  on  an  appeal  to 
class-hatred." 

Leigh  had  not  supposed  that  his  semi-jocular 
wish  would  be  taken  so  literally,  but  he  soon  dis- 
covered that  she  gave  it  its  face  value.  She  went  on 
with  growing  earnestness. 

"There  is  to  be  a  joint  debate  between  him 
and  Judge  Swigart  in  about  a  fortnight,  and  I  'm 
afraid  that  Mr.  Emmet  will  injure  his  cause  by  over- 
statement, by  that  very  bitterness  I  mentioned.  If 
he  could  confine  himself  to  the  facts,  he  might  win 
the  support  of  many  who  are  ready  to  follow  a 
safe  leader,  but  would  be  antagonized  by  a  hint  of 
socialism." 

"Do  you  mean  that  I  could  accomplish  all  this 
in  such  a  short  time?"  he  asked.  "To  be  perfectly 
frank,  the  prospect  of  the  task  dismays  me.  He  'd 
be  sure  to  resent  the  attempt." 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Not  he,"  she  answered  with  conviction.  "  He  'd 
be  grateful  for  such  support  as  yours.  He  's  really 
an  awfully  nice  fellow,  and  I  think  you  'd  find  him 
rather  interesting." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it  for  a  minute/'  he  assured  her. 
"  But  how  am  I  to  make  his  acquaintance  in  the  first 
place  ?  " 

She  considered  the  question  awhile.  "Just  tell 
him  I  thought  you  would  like  to  know  each  other. 
That  would  make  it  perfectly  easy  and  natural." 

Leigh  could  not  fail  to  see  that  this  method  was 
the  best,  if  the  thing  were  to  be  done  at  all.  She 
could  not  bring  them  together  socially,  and  a  note 
of  introduction  would  be  too  formal.  Doubtless  the 
man  looked  up  to  her  as  his  patroness,  and  would 
accept  anything  from  her  with  something  of  feudal 
loyalty. 

"  I  might  meet  him  casually,  —  on  purpose, — and 
if  we  happened  to  like  each  other  and  began  to  talk 
about  politics" —  The  sentence  dwindled  into  a 
dubious  smile. 

"Do,"  she  urged.  "I  really  think  you  could 
influence  him  for  good." 

Leigh  was  less  sure  of  it,  and  the  other  two  men 
returned  before  he  had  committed  himself  to  a  plan 
that  seemed,  even  when  seen  under  her  influence, 
to  be  little  short  of  quixotic. 

During  the  walk  home  he  tried  Cardington  on 
the  subject  of  Emmet,  but  found  him  uncommuni- 
-+  52  +- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

cative,  almost  brusque,  in  his  reticence.  Leigh 
suspected  that  the  subject  might  be  a  sore  one 
with  him,  and  that  he  thoroughly  disapproved  of 
Miss  Wycliffe's  odd  charity.  When  a  talker  is  si- 
lent, his  silence  has  the  tactile  quality  of  Egyptian 
darkness,  and  so  it  now  appeared  in  Cardington. 
Concerning  Miss  Wycliffe  herself  they  made  no 
comment,  doubtless  because  they  were  thinking  of 
her  so  intently.  Leigh  reviewed  every  moment  he 
had  passed  in  her  company,  recalling  each  look  and 
word.  He  was  impressed  now,  more  than  he  had 
been  at  the  time,  with  the  intensity  of  her  interest 
in  the  election,  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  to  do  as 
she  desired,  or  at  least  to  attempt  it,  would  establish 
a  claim  upon  her  regard.  This  was  his  opportunity. 
If  he  desired  to  win  her  favour,  he  must  regard  her 
wish  as  mandatory.  How  much  he  desired  to  win  it 
he  did  not  try  to  conceal  from  himself. 

His  frankness  extended  even  farther.  When  he 
recalled  that  it  was  the  bishop  and  not  his  daughter 
who  had  shown  humanity  at  the  wedding,  he  was 
impressed  by  her  curious  insensibility.  It  seemed  to 
him  peculiarly  feminine  to  take  an  interest  in  such 
a  scene,  and  most  of  the  women  he  knew  would 
have  looked  on  with  tremulous  sympathy.  Was 
this  mere  instinctive  selfishness  on  her  part?  If  he 
vaguely  condemned  her  attitude  in  this  matter,  he 
appreciated  her  father's  conduct  the  more  by  con- 
trast. Somehow  he  guessed  that  the  bishop  did  not 
-+  53  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

altogether  like  him,  but  he  felt  that  no  matter  what 
the  future  might  bring  forth  in  their  relationship, 
he  could  never  forget  that  charming  episode.  The 
bishop  was  a  true  aristocrat,  he  reflected,  more  in- 
clined to  be  haughty  to  his  equals  than  to  his  inferi- 
ors. Doubtless  Emmet,  had  he  been  content  with 
that  station  of  life  in  which  it  had  pleased  God 
to  place  him,  would  have  found  no  more  affable 
acquaintance  than  Bishop  Wycliffe. 

The  bishop  presented  no  insoluble  riddle  to 
Leigh's  mind.  On  the  contrary,  he  had  met  his 
type  before  and  knew  it  well;  but  with  Miss 
Wycliffe  the  case  was  different.  He  recognized 
now  the  reason  of  Cardington's  inability  to  describe 
her,  for  a  categorical  account  of  her  features,  or 
of  what  is  commonly  called  her  "good  points," 
would  have  left  the  essential  quality  untouched. 
Yet  this  quality  was  the  woman  herself,  and  had 
fired  Leigh's  blood  with  a  fever  of  longing  that 
made  him  reckless  of  his  judgment.  In  fact,  he  was 
not  now  absorbed  in  judging,  but  in  realizing,  the 
woman  with  whom  he  had  fallen  in  love. 

If  she  had  appealed  to  him  at  any  one  moment 
more  than  at  another,  it  was  when  she  took  him 
into  her  confidence  with  that  sidelong  look,  as  she 
slipped  the  novel  into  the  large  vase.  Then,  as  at 
other  times  during  the  evening,  but  then  more  par- 
ticularly, she  had  betrayed  her  consciousness  of  him 
as  a  young  man,  of  herself  as  a  woman  and  a  beauty. 
-►  54  *- 


THE    BISHOP'S    DAUGHTER 

He  saw  that  she  had  no  desire  to  talk  with  him  on 
the  impersonal  plane  of  the  mind,  that  she  welcomed, 
rather  than  feared,  the  discovery  of  her  femininity, 
even  in  her  political  interests.  She  might  say  this 
or  that,  as  the  fancy  took  her,  but  she  knew  it  made 
no  difference  to  an  admirer  what  she  said.  Her 
peculiar  fascination  lay  in  a  consciousness  of  sex 
which  is  the  explanation  of  the  power  to  win  men 
that  distinguishes  one  woman  above  the  many,  to 
their  envy  and  mystification. 

Leigh  was  too  attractive  a  man  to  have  been 
allowed  to  reach  his  present  age  entirely  ignorant  of 
the  psychology  of  women,  though  comparative  pov- 
erty and  laborious  studies  had  limited  his  educa- 
tion in  this  direction,  and  left  him  unspoiled.  He 
knew  enough  to  realize  the  secret  of  Miss  Wycliffe's 
charm,  and  to  reflect  consciously  upon  it  in  connec- 
tion with  himself.  Mere  beauty,  he  knew,  would 
have  left  him  cold,  if  it  had  not  stirred  within  him 
the  resentment  aroused  by  a  promise  unfulfilled ; 
intellectual  gifts  alone  would  have  wearied  and 
antagonised ;  evident  virtue  would  have  seemed 
humdrum  and  uninspiring.  It  was  this  delicious 
appeal  of  the  woman  to  the  man  that  had  won  him. 

He  was  yet  to  learn  that  this  quality  is  not  seldom 
accompanied  by  the  most  baffling  counter-current, 
that  holds  its  natural  movement  in  apparent  suspen- 
sion. Why  had  a  woman  so  imperially  endowed 
remained  so  long  unmarried?  It  was  not  that  she 
-i-  55  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

looked  her  age,  which  he  felt  to  be  little  less  than 
his  own,  but  that  she  implied  it  by  her  lack  of  inex- 
perience. It  was  not  that  eight  or  nine  and  twenty 
made  a  spinster  from  the  modern  point  of  view, 
but  that  to  reach  that  age  unmarried  she  must 
have  resisted  many  a  suit.  Had  he  lived  longer  in 
New  England,  he  would  have  known  more  women 
of  this  kind,  women  who  hide  the  passionate  heart 
of  a  Helen  beneath  the  austere  life  of  a  Diana, 
hoarding  their  gifts  of  love  as  a  miser  hoards  his 
gold,  partly  because  of  cruel  necessity,  partly  influ- 
enced by  the  impulse  to  deny  inherited  from  Puritan 
ancestors. 

Suddenly  he  became  aware  that  Cardington  had 
been  talking  again,  and  that  he  had  shown  indiffer- 
ent courtesy  as  a  listener.  He  roused  himself  to 
attention,  and  detected  at  once  the  unusual  flavour 
of  his  companion's  remarks,  from  which  all  jest  had 
gone,  showing  instead  a  poetical  and  reminiscent 
mood. 

"The  silhouettes  of  the  trees  which  the  electric 
light  throws  upon  the  walk,"  he  was  saying,  "remind 
me  of  a  wonderful  moonlight  night  I  once  spent  at 
Assisi.  I  was  younger  then  than  I  am  now,  and  it 
was  my  first  journey  in  that  land  of  enchantment. 
I  travelled  as  lightly  as  one  of  the  apostles,  with 
staff  and  scrip,  so  to  speak,  and  having  resisted 
the  efforts  of  the  cabman  at  the  station  to  rob  me, 
I  started  to  walk  up  to  the  city  alone.  I  understand 
-+  56  +- 


THE    BISHOP'S  DAUGHTER 

they  have  a  trolley  line  now,  —  just  imagine  the 
profanation  of  a  trolley  line  in  the  ancient  city 
of  St.  Francis  !  —  but  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak, 
the  atmosphere  of  the  Middle  Ages  still  hung  over 
the  place  unbroken. 

"  The  city  lay  above  the  valley,  white-walled  and 
silent.  I  remember  touching  with  my  stick  what 
appeared  to  be  a  streak  of  moonlight  that  had 
filtered  through  the  branches  of  a  tree,  when  a 
beautiful  little  serpent  uncoiled  himself  and  slipped 
away  into  the  shadows.  Well,  the  distance  was 
greater  than  I  had  supposed,  and  the  hour  was  late, 
so  that  by  the  time  I  reached  the  city  gate,  I  found 
it  closed  for  the  night.  There  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  sit  down  and  wait  for  morning.  I  found  a 
large,  flat  rock  which  seemed  still  to  hold  some  of 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  looked  out  over  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Just  think  of  my  situation ! 
There  I  was,  a  young  man  fresh  from  America,  full 
of  the  most  extravagant  romance,  sitting  alone  in 
the  moonlight  before  the  gate  of  a  mediaeval  walled 
city,  and  a  city,  too,  so  rich  with  traditions  that  I 
grew  dazed  in  trying  to  recall  them.  It  may  be  that 
the -moon  became  hypnotic  in  its  influence,  for  I 
lay  down  and  stared  up  at  it  like  one  bewitched. 

"I  don't  know  how  long  a  time  passed  in  this 
manner  before  I  was  aroused  by  the  appearance  of 
an  old  peasant  around  the  corner  of  my  rock,  bend- 
ing under  a  huge  bundle  of  faggots.  I  addressed 
-+  57  1- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

myself  to  him  in  the  best  Italian  I  could  then  com- 
mand, and  asked  whether  it  were  possible  to  enter 
the  city  —  entrare  la  citta.  He  rung  a  bell  by 
pulling  a  rope  that  hung  down  over  the  wall,  and 
we  went  in  together.  Now,  you  know,  I  would 
have  remained  there  all  night  without  even  look- 
ing for  such  an  obvious  way  of  arousing  the  gate- 
keeper." 

"  Yes,"  he  continued,  in  answer  to  an  appreciative 
comment  from  his  listener,  "you  would  have  enjoyed 
it,  —  any  one  with  a  soul  would  have  enjoyed  it. 
And  further  adventures  were  in  store  for  me  in 
that  ancient  town.  I  remember  particularly  a  girl 
who  waited  on  the  table  at  my  albergo  and  ac- 
companied me  at  times  on  my  tours  of  inspection. 
From  her  I  learned  more  of  the  history  of  the  place, 
and  upon  her  I  practised  most  diligently  my  Italian. 
There  was  one  mystery  to  which  she  would  come 
back  again  and  again.  If  I  was  an  American,  and 
poor,  how  did  it  happen  that  I  was  not  an  artist  ? 
She  would  turn  her  lovely  eyes  upon  me  twenty 
times  a  day  and  ask  me  this  question.  A  charming 
experience,  was  it  not  ?  Long  afterward  I  met  an 
American  professor  on  one  of  the  boats  in  Holland, 
and  when  we  compared  notes  on  our  travels,  I  dis- 
covered that  he  remembered  that  girl,  too,  and  her 
eyes.  Just  think  of  the  number  of  romantic  young 
travellers  upon  whom  she  had  turned  them  in  that 
appealing  way  of  hers  ! " 


THE    BISHOP'S  DAUGHTER 

As  his  companion  listened  to  this  recital,  he  was 
impressed  not  so  much  by  the  story  itself  as  by  the 
essential  happiness  of  the  narrator.  Here  was  a 
nature  as  untrammelled  as  the  wind,  that  delighted 
to  roam  from  land  to  land.  Local  interests,  people, 
events,  might  hold  him  for  a  time,  but  presently 
he  would  be  gone  in  search  of  new  adventures.  If 
he  loved  Felicity  Wycliffe,  Leigh  reflected,  it  was 
only  as  a  wanderer  loves. 

Cardington  was  laughing  in  his  peculiar  fashion. 
"You  will  say  that  my  little  story  has  a  disappointing 
sequel ;  but,  after  all,  perhaps  it  is  less  commonplace 
as  it  is.  She  will  remain  enshrined  in  my  memory, 
and  in  the  memory  of  those  other  travellers,  as 
we  saw  her  then,  always  young  and  beautiful,  and 
always  turning  upon  us  those  lovely,  enquiring  eyes. 
And,  by  the  way,  it  is  strange,  is  it  not,  that  Miss 
Wycliffe  should  have  eyes  similar  to  those  of  my 
young  guide  in  Assisi  ?  As  far  as  I  know,  she  is 
of  pure  New  England  ancestry,  and  one  does  not 
meet  very  often  in  this  climate  a  glance  that  sug- 
gests nocturnal  mystery.  No,  no.  The  women  here 
are'  different,  as  a  rule.  I  remember  her  mother ; 
she  was  something  like,  but  in  less  perfection." 

Leigh,  fearing  that  he  might  perhaps  say  too 
much,  said  nothing  at  all  by  way  of  comment. 
Cardington's  phrase,  "nocturnal  mystery,"  was  a 
reminder  of  the  scene  through  which  he  had  passed 
thus  far  unheeding,  and  suggested  its  kinship  with 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  woman  of  his  thoughts.  The  vista  seemed  to 
stretch  away  interminably,  disclosing  unexpected 
glimpses  of  colour  where  the  boughs  displayed  their 
changing  leaves  within  the  radius  of  an  electric 
light.  Between  the  lights  the  darkness  gathered 
with  the  greater  intensity  because  of  the  clouds 
which  had  now  traversed  the  whole  expanse  of  the 
sky  and  hidden  the  stars  from  view.  He  was  con- 
scious also  of  the  ceaseless  murmuring  of  the  wind 
in  the  leaves,  like  many  voices  whispering  in  an 
unknown  tongue. 


THE    CANDIDATE 


CHAPTER  V 


THE   CANDIDATE 


JLiEIGH  awoke  the  next  morning  with  a  sense  that 
some  profound  change  had  come  into  his  life.  His 
mood  was  similar  to  that  of  a  man  on  the  verge  of 
a  trip  to  foreign  lands,  who,  with  all  the  humdrum 
existence  that  had  earned  it  behind  him,  and  all  the 
delights  of  adventure  before,  waits  only  the  turn 
of  wind  or  tide  to  be  away.  The  comparison  is  not 
inept,  for  he  had  lived  laborious  days,  postponing 
deliberately  or  missing  by  chance,  he  scarcely  knew 
which,  the  experience  he  now  felt  to  be  impending. 
His  time  of  life  was  peculiarly  favourable  for  the 
growth  of  a  master  passion,  one  which,  as  the  old 
saying  has  it,  might  make  or  mar  him.  The  feverish 
struggles  of  early  youth  had  landed  him  in  a  position 
somewhat  better  than  that  attained  by  the  majority 
of  his  contemporaries.  He  had  reached  a  breathing- 
place,  where  he  could  pause  with  a  sense  of  deeds 
accomplished  and  of  possible  rewards  in  the  future. 
A  realisation  of  the  fact  that  his  circumstances 
and  position  fairly  justified  him  in  entertaining  seri- 
ously the  thought  of  love  lessened  in  no  way  the 
ideality  of  that  thought.  It  was  not  because  Felicity 
.    -+  61 +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Wycliffe  was  the  first  attractive  woman  to  come 
into  his  life  at  the  right  moment  that  he  had  fallen 
in  love  with  her.  He  told  himself  that  he  could 
have  met  any  other  woman  in  the  world  at  that 
time  with  impunity ;  and,  conversely,  had  he  met 
her  years  before,  when  his  suit  must  needs  have 
been  hopeless,  he  would  have  loved  her  no  less,  reck- 
less of  worldly  considerations.  As  it  was,  he  did  not 
feel  that  the  situation  was  conventional,  but  that 
the  fates  were  kind.  His  desire,  and  the  right  to 
strive  for  its  attainment,  had  synchronised  by  happy 
chance. 

In  the  history  of  a  passion,  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
mood  is  more  elysian  than  that  which  accompanies 
the  waking  moments  on  the  morning  after  the 
great  discovery.  Leigh  wandered  for  some  time  in 
this  imaginary  paradise,  where  everything  seemed 
not  only  possible,  but  actually  accomplished.  His 
rising,  however,  shook  some  of  these  iridescent 
colours  from  his  thoughts,  until  they  gradually 
began  to  assume  the  more  sober  hue  of  fact,  a 
change  like  that  which  he  now  discovered  had  come 
over  the  outside  world. 

The  storm,  which  had  promised  to  be  wild  and 
spectacular,  had  somehow  miscarried  in  the  night, 
and  instead  of  pelting  showers  and  tossing  branches 
he  saw  a  pale  grey  wall  of  mist  against  his  windows. 
All  excitement  had  gone  from  the  atmosphere, 
leaving  the  dreary  certainty  that  the  mist  would 
-+  62  •«- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


presently  clear  only  to  condense  into  a  slow,  per- 
sistent, autumn  rain.  It  is  conceivable  that  he 
would  not  have  exchanged  his  waking  dreams  so 
quickly  for  more  definite  thoughts  and  speculations 
had  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  blue  hills  of  the 
western  skyline,  for  he  was  peculiarly  susceptible  to 
the  moods  of  nature.  There  being  now  practically 
no  outside  world  to  lure  his  fancy  on,  he  began  to 
think  of  his  actual  situation,  and  to  ask  himself 
what  he  intended  to  do  with  regard  to  the  man  in 
whom  Miss  Wycliffe  had  taken  such  an  interest.  If 
her  plan  appeared  quixotic  to  him  now,  he  feared 
that  on  second  thoughts  it  might  seem  no  less  so 
to  her,  and  he  resolved  to  do  the  thing  she  desired, 
and  to  gain  thereby  a  common  interest  with  her, 
before  she  might  discourage  the  attempt.  This 
resolve  taken,  he  went  to  breakfast  at  the  college 
commons,  and  thence  to  chapel. 

Attendance  at  chapel,  he  had  discovered,  was 
obligatory  upon  the  students  and  upon  those  cleri- 
cal members  of  the  faculty  who  conducted  the  ser- 
vices. Personally  he  was  drawn  thither  by  the 
peculiar  flavour  which  the  exercises  gave  his  daily 
life.  It  was  pleasant  to  sit  alone  in  his  pew  against 
the  wall  above  the  tiers  of  students,  to  watch  the 
morning  sunlight  streaming  through  the  stained 
glass  windows,  and  to  listen  to  the  antiphonal  sing- 
ing of  a  fine  old  Rouen  meditation.  Occasionally 
the  services  began  with  a  Sapphic  ode  by  Gregory 
-+  63  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  Great,  whose  opening  line,  JEJcce  ia?n  noctis  te- 
nuatur  umbra,  set  to  music  from  the  Salisbury  Hym- 
nal, resounded  through  the  arches  of  the  chapel 
like  a  call  to  the  duties  of  the  day.  In  the  institu- 
tion from  which  he  had  recently  come,  the  jealousy 
of  rival  sects  had  resulted  in  the  complete  elimina- 
tion of  all  outward  forms  of  worship;  and  he  found 
the  change  grateful.  There  was  novelty  and  charm 
in  a  service  attended  wholly  by  men,  and  in  the 
music,  as  mediaeval  in  character  as  the  architecture 
of  the  Hall  itself.  Like  most  of  his  contempora- 
ries, Leigh  could  by  no  means  have  formulated  his 
religious  beliefs,  but  in  all  the  chaos  of  modern 
thought  he  still  retained  a  certain  piety,  in  the  old 
Roman  sense  of  the  word,  a  loyalty  to  the  traditions 
of  his  fathers  which  he  would  never  have  dignified 
by  the  name  of  faith. 

He  was  happily  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  the 
eyes  of  many  of  the  students  were  fixed  upon  him 
with  keen  observation.  The  self-contained  young 
professor  was  as  much  an  unknown  quantity  as  any 
he  asked  them  to  find  in  the  recitation-room.  They 
were  baffled  by  the  impersonal  attitude  he  had 
brought  from  the  university,  where  the  individual 
counted  for  little,  and  were  inclined  to  attribute  it 
to  a  disposition  to  be  severe  in  his  marking. 

It  chanced  that  this  morning  he  was  free  from 
recitations,  but  though  his  time  was  his  own,  he  had 
no  definite  plan  with  which  to  fill  it.  After  linger- 
-+  64  +- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


ing  in  his  room  for  some  minutes,  he  descended  once 
more  to  the  walk,  finding  relief  in  simulating  a 
purpose  by  definiteness  of  action.  Instead  of  fol- 
lowing the  line  of  the  building  northward,  he  struck 
out  directly  across  the  plateau,  past  the  flagstaff  and 
the  great  bronze  statue  of  the  bishop,  and  de- 
scended the  slope  along  a  path  that  marked  the 
future  grand  approach. 

As  he  recalled  the  bishop's  elaborate  description,  he 
turned  and  gazed  at  the  towers  which  loomed  ghost- 
like beyond  the  ridge.  He  was  now  in  the  midst 
of  the  wide  field  from  which  he  had  heard  the  tin- 
kle of  cow-bells  on  the  morning  of  his  arrival.  The 
place  was  deserted,  save  for  his  own  presence.  The 
grass  was  heavy  with  clinging  globules  of  moisture, 
and  every  head  of  goldenrod  seemed  encrusted  with 
glimmering  pearls.  Everywhere  there  was  a  curious 
and  oppressive  silence,  as  if  the  world  were  deprived 
not  only  of  light,  but  also  of  life.  The  great  towers 
appeared  unsubstantial,  carved  from  blocks  of  mist 
only  a  degree  thicker  than  that  which  spread  about 
him.  He  indulged  the  odd  fancy  that  a  rising  wind 
might  sweep  the  whole  away,  leaving  only  a  bare 
hilltop  beneath  the  clearing  sky. 

The  clang  of  a  gong  from  the  car  barn  beyond 
came  like  a  reminder  of  his  purpose,  a  summons  to 
make  a  tentative  effort,  at  least,  to  achieve  it.  So 
he  turned  resolutely  away,  leaving  academic  dreams 
in  the  mist  behind  him. 

-+  65  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

The  street-car  barn  was  perhaps  the  dreariest  spot 
in  Warwick.  Its  proximity  to  the  college  grounds 
had  caused  the  bishop  to  view  it  with  disfavour, 
and  already  a  fine  ivy,  planted  at  his  suggestion, 
covered  part  of  the  bare  brick  walls.  The  bishop 
would  fain  have  recalled  the  days  that  antedated 
electric  roads,  before  the  company  had  driven  this 
peg  at  the  corner  of  his  academe  and  stretched 
therefrom  another  gleaming  thread  of  its  intricate 
web  of  trolley  lines.  Those  were  the  golden  days 
when  one  drove  up  to  the  Hall  in  a  comfortable 
carriage,  when  the  richer  students  went  horseback 
riding  along  the  country  roads,  when  the  chug,  chug 
of  the  motor-car  and  its  attendant  smell  of  gasoline 
were  unknown. 

Though  Leigh  was  far  from  sharing  the  bishop's 
whimsical  indignation  at  this  change,  even  he  felt 
the  chill  unloveliness  of  the  long  reaches  of  the 
barn  filled  with  lifeless  cars,  where  an  occasional 
electric  bulb  burned  like  an  ignis  fatuus  in  the  misty 
gloom.  How  much  more  attractive  a  railroad  round- 
house,  with  iron  monsters  on  its  converging  tracks, 
each  with  his  cyclopean  eye  of  fire,  each  panting 
deeply  with  slow  jets  of  steam  ! 

The  place  was  comparatively  deserted.  Far  back 
in  the  barn  dim  figures  moved,  and  from  the  work- 
house in  the  rear  came  the  clang  of  metal.  One  or 
two  passengers  were  waiting  for  the  next  car,  and 
Leigh  spied  a  conductor  coming  to  his  work,  finish- 
-t-  66  •»- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


ing  the  last  few  puffs  of  his  morning  pipe.  He  was 
an  elderly  man,  with  a  sweeping  grey  moustache 
and  a  gait  that  suggested  the  sea.  Behind  him  two 
small  boys  came  racing  with  a  cart. 

"  Hello  !  "  cried  the  conductor,  stepping  aside 
with  agility.  "  What 's  this  ?  A  Japanese  torpedo 
boat  ?  "  He  turned  to  Leigh  genially.  "  I  '11  have 
to  spread  a  net  before  my  bows.  These  youngsters 
take  me  for  a  Rooshyan  battleship." 

It  occurred  to  Leigh  that  this  man  might  know 
Emmet  well,  and  when  the  car  came  in,  he  stood  on 
the  back  platform  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  him 
in  talk  that  might  help  him  in  his  project.  The 
heavy  morning  traffic  was  over,  and  as  the  conduc- 
tor was  comparatively  unoccupied,  he  accepted  his 
passenger's  advances  readily.  In  a  few  minutes  Leigh 
became  aware  that  the  man  knew  who  he  was. 

"  That 's  nothing  wonderful,"  he  explained.  "  I  've 
been  on  this  line  for  years,  and  I  know  everybody 
that  travels  this  way.  I  thought  you  were  the  new 
professor  at  the  Hall,  the  minute  I  set  eyes  on  you." 

In  spite  of  the  trim  uniform,  the  cap  and  buttons, 
he  seemed  cast  in  a  larger  mould  than  most  men  of 
his  kind.  He  was  garrulous  without  offence,  and 
carried  with  him  some  of  the  atmosphere  which  only 
travel  gives.  He  was  more  fit,  Leigh  reflected,  to 
command  a  ship,  or  to  crack  the  whip  over  six  horses 
from  the  seat  of  a  stage-coach,  than  to  pull  the  bell- 
rope  on  a  Warwick  street-car.  It  was  easy  enough 
-+  67  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

to  engage  him  in  conversation  about  the  coming 
election,  but  more  difficult  to  arrive  at  the  point  he 
had  in  mind.  He  learned  that  Emmet  had  already 
resigned  his  place  as  a  conductor  to  devote  his 
whole  time  to  the  work  of  the  campaign,  and  he 
began  to  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  meeting  him 
naturally.  If  he  went  to  his  boarding-house,  he 
would  doubtless  find  him  away,  or  not  alone.  On 
the  whole,  considering  the  shortness  of  the  time 
and  the  different  worlds  in  which  they  moved,  he 
decided  that  he  must  make  his  opportunity,  rather 
than  wait  for  it  to  come. 

"I  believe  you  said  that  Mr.  Emmet  boards  at 
your  house,"  he  ventured  finally.  "In  that  case, 
you  might  do  me  a  little  favour,  if  you  will.  The 
fact  is,  that  I  would  like  very  much  to  make  his 
acquaintance,  but  I  hesitate  to  call  upon  him  at 
random,  knowing  how  busy  he  is.  If  he  has  a  free 
hour  some  time,  I  'd  like  to  meet  him." 

"  You  'd  like  to  meet  him  ?  "  the  conductor  asked 
shrewdly. 

"  This  is  n't  politics,"  Leigh  explained,  aware  of 
the  other's  guess,  "  and  for  that  reason  I  want  Mr. 
Emmet  to  consult  his  own  convenience.  If  you  '11 
give  him  my  card  and  tell  him  that  we  have  a  com- 
mon friend  who  wishes  us  to  know  each  other,  he 
may  think  it  worth  while  to  drop  me  a  postcard 
and  make  an  appointment.  I  '11  come  to  see  him 
any  time  he  's  at  liberty." 

-H-  68  ••- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


The  conductor  stowed  the  card  away  in  his 
clothes  with  a  peculiar  lurch  of  his  figure  that  re- 
minded Leigh  once  more  of  his  first  impression. 

"  Am  I  right/'  he  asked,  "  in  guessing  that  you 
once  followed  the  sea?  " 

"  Twenty  years/'  the  man  answered ;  "  and 
though  I  've  been  ashore  as  many,  they  still  call  me 
captain  —  Captain  Tucker.  The  salt  water  puts  its 
stamp  on  a  man  for  life,  don't  it  ?  I  was  reminded 
of  it  this  morning  when  I  see  in  the  paper  that  the 
Rooshyans  had  fired  on  the  Hull  fishermen  off  the 
Dogger  Banks.  What  a  shame  that  was,  wra'n't  it  ? 
Why,  those  fishermen  are  the  most  inoffensive  fel- 
lows in  the  world.  Many  a  time  when  I  passed 
through  that  sea  they  'd  throw  up  a  fish  on  our  deck 
by  way  of  a  present." 

Leigh  found  the  conversation  which  this  reminis- 
cence suggested  so  full  of  interest,  that  he  made 
the  complete  circuit  of  the  line  to  pursue  it  at  such 
intervals  as  his  new  acquaintance  could  spare  from 
his  duties.  Then,  as  the  steaming  rain  had  begun 
to  fall  heavily,  he  returned  to  the  college.  Upon  a 
mental  review  of  his  trip,  he  was  inclined  to  doubt 
that  he  would  hear  from  Emmet,  but  in  so  doing 
he  forgot  to  reckon  with  one  of  the  most  powerful 
of  human  motives,  curiosity.  He  also  failed  to  con- 
sider that  his  position  as  a  professor  at  St.  George's 
Hall  would  give  his  advances  peculiar  importance. 
His  only  fear  was  that  the  captain  might  not  report 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  message  correctly,  and  he  wished  he  had  been 
able  to  write  a  note.  A  remembrance  of  the  man's 
geniality  reassured  him,  and  he  reflected  that  such 
men  were  the  most  approachable  and  companionable 
in  the  world,  always  ready  for  a  new  acquaintance, 
and  imbued  with  a  certain  fundamental  humanity 
which  is  too  often  winnowed  out  from  more  artificial 
or  more  cultivated  natures. 

He  went  to  his  work  that  evening  without  much 
thought  of  the  probable  outcome  of  his  morning's 
effort.  Like  most  college  professors,  he  had  a 
number  of  unfinished  problems  on  hand,  any  one 
of  which  might  require  years  for  its  solution.  The 
scholar's  work,  like  the  housekeeper's,  is  never  done, 
and  like  the  housekeeper,  too,  he  can  cover  up  his 
postponements  and  neglect  for  a  measurable  time 
without  censure.  He  can  fail  to  set  the  house  of  his 
mind  in  order;  he  can  sweep  the  dust  of  unfinished 
investigation  into  obscure  nooks  and  corners ;  he 
can  make  fair  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  the  plat- 
ter for  cursory  inspection.  Herein  lies  his  peculiar 
temptation.  The  public  is  prone  to  take  his  scientific 
spirit  for  granted,  and  is  a  long  time  in  opening  its 
eyes.  Meanwhile  he  lives  a  life  of  delightful  leisure, 
teaching  as  many  hours  a  week  as  a  business  man 
labours  in  a  day.  Not  one  man  in  a  hundred  is 
proof  against  the  seduction  of  those  idle  hours, 
during  which  literature  and  art  and  a  cultivated 
society  plead  for  some  share  of  his  attention  and 
-*-  70  4- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


filch  away  his  will.  And,  after  all,  why  not?  he 
begins  to  ask  himself.  In  a  commercial  age  and  a 
country  that  thinks  upon  the  surface,  his  profession 
receives  no  adequate  recognition.  Life  is  short ; 
he  had  better  reap  the  reward  of  his  laborious 
and  expensive  preparation  by  enjoying  those  diver- 
sions which  he  of  all  men  is  peculiarly  fitted  to 
appreciate. 

Leigh  honestly  meant  to  be  the  hundredth  man, 
and  to  make  a  name  for  himself.  He  had  found 
what  might  be  called  an  easy  place  in  contrast  with 
the  drudgery  of  the  large  classes  he  had  previously 
taught.  Here  was  the  time,  here  the  problem.  The 
lamp  was  trimmed,  the  white  sheets  of  paper  were 
spread  out  invitingly  on  his  desk.  A  few  logs  burned 
brightly  in  the  fireplace,  dispelling  the  penetrating 
chill,  and  the  rain  beat  heavily  against  the  windows, 
intensifying  the  distance  of  the  world  and  his  own 
seclusion. 

But  now  a  face  hovered  between  his  eyes  and 
the  paper  on  his  desk ;  then  the  complete  figure  of 
the  woman  he  loved  came  into  view,  pointing  with 
her  small  ivory  cimeter  another  and  more  alluring 
road.  As  one  may  lie  and  doze  awhile  in  the 
morning,  with  a  resentful  realisation  of  the  impend- 
ing duties  of  the  day,  so  now  he  allowed  himself  ten 
minutes  of  respite,  only  to  discover  presently  that 
his  allowance  had  lengthened  imperceptibly  to  an 
hour. 

-+  71 "  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

A  knock  at  the  door  aroused  him,  and  he  shouted 
an  invitation  to  enter,  thinking  that  Cardington  had 
stepped  across  the  hallway  for  a  chat.  His  surprise 
therefore  was  great  when  the  door  swung  open  and 
showed  an  unknown  man  placing  his  dripping  um- 
brella in  the  corner. 

"  I  got  your  message,  professor,"  the  visitor  began. 
Leigh  was  instantly  aware,  above  everything  else,  of 
the  extraordinarily  alert  glance  which  he  flung  into 
the  room  ahead  of  him  as  he  entered.  This  summed 
up  his  total  first  impression. 

"  Mr.  Emmet  !  "  he  cried.  "  Come  in.  This  is 
really  too  bad.  I  'm  afraid  Captain  Tucker  did  n't 
give  you  the  message  correctly.  I  meant  to  call  upon 
you.  He  must  have  represented  that  I  had  some 
urgent  business  —  but  I  need  n't  say  how  I  appre- 
ciate your  coming,  especially  on  such  a  night." 

"All  kinds  of  weather  are  alike  to  me,"  Emmet 
answered  heartily.  "  I  was  up  in  this  part  of  town, 
and  thought  I  might  better  drop  in  and  see  you 
than  send  a  postal." 

Now  that  he  was  seated,  Leigh  had  a  better  oppor- 
tunity for  observation,  and  his  fuller  impression  was 
decidedly  favourable.  Emmet  was  apparently  about 
his  own  age,  of  medium  height,  with  the  shoulders 
and  bearing  of  an  athlete.  He  possessed  no  strik- 
ingly fine  feature,  and  yet  the  whole  man  was  hand- 
some. One  took  no  notice  of  the  shape  of  his  nose 
or  the  line  of  his  chin,  for  these  points  were  neither 
-h  72  •»- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


excellent  nor  the  reverse.  What  gave  him  a  claim 
to  distinction  above  his  fellows  was  the  splendidly 
abundant  vitality  that  appeared  unmistakably  in  the 
rich  colour  of  his  cheeks,  in  his  very  posture,  and 
in  the  brightness  of  his  reddish-brown  eyes.  It 
remained  to  be  seen  whether  this  brightness  might 
indicate  intellect  as  well  as  health.  For  the  rest,  for 
the  quality  that  betrayed  the  man,  his  expression 
was  not  to  be  read  at  a  glance.  Its  major  message 
seemed  to  be  goodfellowship,  but  the  seeming  failed 
to  strengthen  into  certainty  on  closer  inspection. 
Here  was  a  man  who  could  think  hiddenly,  speak 
guardedly,  wait  for  others  to  show  their  cards,  and 
do  all  this  with  a  disarming  appearance  of  ingenuous 
friendliness.  The  atmosphere  he  radiated  as  he  sat 
waiting  for  his  host  to  explain  himself  was  one  of 
tension  without  nervousness. 

Leigh  began  as  most  men  would  have  begun  under 
the  circumstances.  He  fostered  the  subject  of  the 
weather  for  a  few  minutes  longer,  and  produced  a 
box  of  cigars. 

u  I  never  smoke,  or  drink  either,  for  that  matter," 
Emmet  remarked  simply.  "A  politician  is  like  a 
barkeeper;  he  can  do  his  business  better  if  he  lets 
drink  alone.  As  for  cigars,  try  one  of  mine.  They  're 
part  of  my  stock  in  trade.  I  guess  this  one  won't 
explode  and  set  fire  to  the  place." 

Leigh  smiled  as  he  lighted  the  cigar,  which  he 
found  to  be  a  good  one.  There  was  something  that 
-+  73  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

made  for  freedom  in  the  unintentional  officiousness 
with  which  his  guest  had  thrust  aside  his  hospital- 
ity and  substituted  his  own. 

"  Possibly/'  he  ventured,  "  you  might  imagine 
that  I  have  some  plan  in  mind  to  hand  over  to  you 
the  vote  of  the  college." 

"  A  deal  like  that  would  please  the  bishop/' 
Emmet  returned,  with  unexpected  irony. 

"  It  would  please  his  daughter,  at  any  rate,  as  I 
believe  you  know." 

"  Yes,"  Emmet  assented,  with  a  nod.  "  I  know 
what  a  good  friend  of  mine  Miss  Wycliffe  is." 

"  We  were  talking  last  night,"  Leigh  continued, 
"  about  political  conditions  here  in  Warwick,  and  I 
became  very  much  interested,  for  municipal  reform 
is  one  of  my  hobbies.  Wherever  I  've  lived,  I  've 
always  been  against  the  machine,  at  least  to  the 
extent  of  my  vote.  Miss  Wycliffe  told  me  that  you 
were  trying  to  break  up  the  clique  that  has  ruled 
Warwick  since  the  war;  and  when  she  saw  how 
much  she  had  enlisted  my  sympathy,  she  proposed 
that  we  become  acquainted.  That 's  how  I  happened 
to  send  a  message  to  you  by  the  captain.  I  did  n't 
know  when  you  were  likely  to  be  most  at  liberty." 
He  paused,  and  flicked  the  ashes  from  his  cigar.  "  I 
feel  guilty  to  think  that  I  have  stolen  some  of  your 
time,  when  I  have  nothing  to  give  you  in  return  but 
good  wishes." 

It  was  impossible  to  guess  whether  Emmet  were 
■h-  74  1- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


surprised  or  disappointed  at  this  disclosure  of  the 
comparative  futility  of  his  visit. 

"  Good  wishes,"  he  said,  "  are  always  worth  hav- 
ing, and  especially  from  this  college,  for  I  tell  you 
there  are  mighty  few  men  connected  with  this  place 
that  wish  me  well." 

Leigh,  remembering  the  bishop  and  Cardington, 
did  not  doubt  the  truth  of  this  declaration.  He 
wondered  what  his  colleague  would  surmise  should 
he  come  in  at  that  moment.  The  situation  would  be 
complicated,  and  would  no  doubt  gain  in  interest, 
but  it  was  aiV  interest  he  was  content  to  forego. 
He  was  impressed  by  a  hint  of  passion  and  resent- 
ment in  his  guest's  voice,  restrained  as  by  one  not 
entirely  sure  of  his  hearer. 

In  Leigh's  attitude  there  was  no  affectation.  He 
was  genuinely  interested  in  the  situation,  and  he 
brought  to  it  all  a  Westerner's  lack  of  class  preju- 
dice, all  his  appreciation  of  a  man  for  his  intrinsic 
worth,  irrespective  of  college  degrees  and  family  and 
fortune.  It  was  some  time  before  Emmet,  feeling  his 
way  by  little  and  little,  realised  the  anomaly  of  a 
professor  in  St.  George's  Hall  with  Democratic  sym- 
pathies. Miss  Wycliffe's  judgment  of  the  two  men, 
her  belief  that  they  would  get  on  well  together,  was 
entirely  justified  by  the  result,  which  became  un- 
doubted before  an  hour  had  passed.  Emmet  was  by 
no  means  lacking  in  shrewdness,  and,  having  once 
become  convinced  that  caution  was  needless,  he 
-*  75  «♦- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

talked  more  freely,  until,  to  his  listener's  interested 
observation,  he  appeared  quite  another  man.  He 
began  to  show  some  of  that  eloquence  of  which 
Cardington  had  spoken,  an  eloquence  that  derived 
its  effect  not  from  the  artifices  of  rhetoric,  but  from 
a  deep  conviction  and  a  personal  grievance.  He 
spoke  in  adequate  language,  that  left  no  doubt  of 
his  meaning,  and  the  meaning  itself  was  sufficiently 
striking  to  rivet  attention.  Leigh  began  to  realise 
why  it  was  that  the  bishop  had  thought  him  danger- 
ous. He  forgot  to  wonder  at  Emmet's  gift  of  speech 
in  the  new  point  of  view  that  was  gradually  pre- 
sented to  his  mind.  He  was  struck  particularly  by 
the  fact  that  St.  George's  Hall,  which  seemed  to  him 
comparatively  insignificant  in  the  educational  world, 
should  loom  so  large  in  this  man's  horizon  that  the 
towers  which  stood  to  him  for  star-gazing  and 
cloistered  study  and  old  tradition  should  appear  to 
Emmet  merely  the  bulwarks  of  class  privilege  and 
social  tyranny. 

The  fact  that  Leigh  was  a  stranger  in  Warwick 
must  have  given  his  guest  a  peculiar  sense  of  free- 
dom. One  has  only  to  recall  the  confidences  which 
men  that  meet  casually  on  the  train  will  sometimes 
repose  in  each  other,  to  realise  how  this  can  be. 
Under  such  circumstances,  each  tells  his  story  to 
unprejudiced  ears,  without  fear  that  it  will  one  day 
be  turned  to  his  disadvantage.  Nor  was  this  the  first 
time  in  Leigh's  life  when  he  had  been  surprised  to 
-*  76  ■*- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


find  himself  the  recipient  of  another's  secrets.  The 
conversation  finally  became  almost  a  monologue,  or, 
more  specifically,  a  statement  of  grievances. 

"  I  would  n't  mind,  if  the  campaign  were  being 
conducted  on  the  square,"  said  Emmet,  now  thor- 
oughly aroused ;  "  but  it  is  n't.  It 's  hard  work  to 
talk  against  money,  and  they  've  got  barrels  of  it. 
They  're  putting  it  now  where  it  will  do  the  most 
good.  A  thousand  dollars  to  this  saloon-keeper  and 
another  thousand  to  that,  to  keep  their  heelers  away 
from  the  polls  on  election  day,  may  do  the  trick  for 
them,  no  matter  what  I  say  or  do  or  am.  And  it 's 
college-bred  men,  professional  men,  who  are  doing 
it.  The  whole  of  the  wealthy  and  educated  element 
of  Warwick  is  leagued  against  me,  and  bound  to 
beat  me  by  fair  means  or  foul." 

u  Corruption  in  politics  is  common  enough  every- 
where, I  'm  afraid,"  Leigh  remarked. 

"  It 's  worse  here,"  Emmet  declared  bitterly ;  "and 
here  it 's  a  question  of  class  against  class  as  well. 
Warwick  is  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  city  of  its  size 
in  the  country,  and  the  offices  have  been  handed 
around  in  a  certain  set  ever  since  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  The  labour  unions  are  uncommonly 
strong,  too,  and  if  they  would  only  hang  together, 
they  could  have  things  their  own  way.  I  can  de- 
pend upon  the  support  of  my  own  crowd,  but  there 
are  always  mutual  jealousies  to  be  reckoned  with 
between  the  various  unions.    Besides,  the  labouring 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

man  will  talk  boldly  enough  at  times  about  equality, 
but  he  still  has  a  sneaking  admiration  for  the  fel- 
low that  lives  in  a  big  house,  and  a  corresponding 
distrust  of  one  of  his  own  kind.  Let  me  give  you 
an  illustration  of  it.  The  other  day,  Judge  Swigart's 
manager,  Anthony  Cobbens,  was  swaggering  around 
the  barn  down  here,  talking  with  some  of  the  men 
about  his  horses  and  dogs,  and  poking  a  little  fun 
at  me  on  the  side.  Such  things  have  their  effect.  I 
heard  one  of  the  men  say  afterward  that  Cobbens 
was  as  friendly  with  them  as  if  he  were  n't  rich  at 
all.  It 's  a  fact  that  he  was  flattered  by  the  fellow, 
even  when  he  saw  through  him." 

There  was  something  rather  magnificent  in  the 
scorn  that  blazed  in  the  speaker's  eyes  as  he  told 
this  incident,  and  Leigh  felt  that,  no  matter  what 
his  faults  might  be,  sycophancy  never  was  and 
never  could  be  one  of  them. 

"  It 's  all  the  more  pitiful,"  he  remarked,  "  because 
he  gets  nothing  for  it  but  the  contempt  he  deserves. 
But  I  've  heard  of  this  Cobbens.  It  seems  to  me 
that  Miss  Wycliffe  compared  him  to  a  weasel." 

Emmet  laughed,  but  almost  immediately  the  in- 
tensity of  his  mood  returned.  "  Cobbens  is  one  of 
your  own  graduates,"  he  went  on,  almost  as  if  he 
held  his  listener  responsible  for  that  fact.  "  I  knew 
him  as  a  boy,  and  played  with  him  on  the  streets. 
Perhaps  that 's  the  reason  he  's  my  worst  enemy 
to-day.  His  mother  was  a  dressmaker  and  a  widow, 
-+  78  h- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


but  somehow,  by  hook  and  by  crook,  he  managed 
to  work  his  way  through  St.  George's  Hall.  Then 
he  became  a  lawyer  and  married  one  of  the  richest 
girls  in  town.  What  she  saw  in  him,  nobody  knows, 
but  he 's  a  hypnotist,  and  no  mistake.  Now  she 's 
dead,  and  so  are  her  parents,  and  Cobbens  and  his 
mother  live  in  her  great  house  and  ride  in  her 
carriages.  He  's  a  high  roller,  right  in  with  the 
judge  and  his  crew,  and  there  is  n't  a  more  corrupt 
politician  in  this  town.  There  's  a  fine  specimen  of 
your  college  graduate  !  " 

"  I  hope  you  don't  regard  him  as  a  typical  college 
graduate,"  Leigh  protested  good-naturedly. 

Had  he  been  familiar  with  the  alumni  of  the  Hall, 
he  could  have  made  his  argument  strong  by  personal 
examples  unlike  Anthony  Cobbens,  but  he  made  his 
defence  of  the  college  graduate  general,  answering 
the  well-known  objections  to  him  in  the  well-known 
way.  It  was  evident  that  Emmet  regarded  colleges 
and  universities  as  identified  with  entrenched  privi- 
lege everywhere,  and  with  corruption  in  local  poli- 
tics particularly.  It  was  inevitable  that  he  should 
have  been  influenced  in  this  view  by  his  own  con- 
crete experiences.  The  iron  had  entered  into  his 
soul,  and  its  scar  was  not  to  be  effaced  by  an  even- 
ing's conversation.  Not  infrequently  life  will  be 
interpreted  to  a  passionate  nature  by  one  or  two 
persons,  be  they  friends  or  enemies.  To  Emmet, 
Cobbens  and  the  bishop  loomed  much  larger  in  the 
-+  79  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

general  scheme  of  things  than  their  intrinsic  impor- 
tance warranted.  It  was  interesting,  having  heard 
the  bishop's  opinion  of  Emmet,  to  get  Emmet's  view 
of  the  bishop,  a  view  that  was  by  no  means  without 
a  certain  reluctant  respect  and  admiration.  Leigh 
felt  that  his  prejudice  was  impassioned,  rather  than 
intellectual,  and  would  yield  gradually  to  a  change 
of  circumstances,  whereas  the  bishop  would  never 
revise  his  judgment.  He  was  impressed  also  by  the 
fact  that  Miss  Wycliffe  could  never  fully  appreciate 
the  conditions  that  had  produced  the  man  whose 
cause  she  had  chosen  to  champion,  or  see  that  he 
must  needs  be  a  radical,  if  he  thought  at  all,  at  least 
in  the  present  stage  of  his  development.  Leigh's 
own  experience  in  life  enabled  him  to  look  into  both 
camps  with  comprehension,  for  he  belonged  to  the 
comparatively  small  class  of  the  cultivated  poor,  and 
his  struggles  had  been  no  less  intense  than  those 
of  the  man  before  him,  though  for  different  ends. 
The  effect  of  what  he  said  was  conciliatory,  but  his 
visitor  was  merely  convinced  that  this  particular 
college  graduate  was  an  exception  to  the  rule. 

"  You  're  not  much  like  the  bishop,"  he  remarked. 
"  I  don't  say  that  he  is  n't  the  real  thing  in  the  way 
of  a  gentleman,  but  he  's  as  proud  as  the  Old  Boy 
himself." 

"  I  don't  know  how  proud  the  Old  Boy  may  be," 
Leigh  answered,  laughing,  "  or  what  he  has  to  be 
proud  of,  but  I  've  discovered  that  Bishop  Wycliffe, 
-+  80  -*- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


underneath  his  apparent  frigidity,  has  one  of  the 
kindest  hearts  in  the  world." 

"  We  all  know  that,"  Emmet  assented.  "  He  's 
one  of  the  most  charitable  men  in  town.  I  'm  bound 
to  say,  too,  that  he  does  n't  know  anything  about 
the  inside  workings  of  that  political  ring,  but  it 's 
because  he  does  n't  want  to  know.  He  just  naturally 
ranges  himself  with  his  own  class  on  such  a  ques- 
tion." 

He  had  progressed  from  an  alertness  that  was 
not  free  from  suspicion  to  a  fervid  statement  of 
the  political  situation,  into  which  the  element  of  his 
personal  feelings  had  risen  more  and  more  to  the 
surface.  So  naturally  did  he  appear  to  take  the  men- 
tion of  Miss  Wycliffe  that  Leigh  had  not  realised 
how  deeply  flattered  he  must  have  been  by  her 
interest.  Now,  at  last,  his  very  posture  showed  a 
sense  of  being  at  home,  and  into  the  brightness  of 
his  steady  eyes  an  expression  entered  which  could 
best  be  described  as  confidential. 

"  I  meant  to  ask  you,"  he  said,  "  who  it  was  that 
began  to  talk  about  me  at  the  bishop's." 

Leigh  considered  a  moment.  "  We  were  all  dis- 
cussing politics  —  I  really  don't  remember." 

"  And  did  Miss  Wycliffe  take  my  part  against  the 
old  man  ?  " 

The  question  arrested  Leigh's  attention,  and 
traversed  his  consciousness  with  a  positive  shock. 
It  was  he  who  was  now  on  guard.  He  would  have 
-+  81  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK  ■ 

repudiated  the  insinuation  that  he  was  jealous,  and 
yet,  when  a  man  is  in  love,  jealousy  in  some  sort 
may  extend  even  to  those  who  cannot  possibly  be 
his  rivals.  As  he  divined  that  Emmet  was  inclined 
to  put  too  personal  an  interpretation  upon  Miss 
Wycliffe's  generosity  of  feeling,  he  was  concerned 
to  think  that  she  might  have  misplaced  it,  that  this 
man  might  have  the  presumption  to  misunderstand 
her.  He  became  singularly  forgetful  of  what  had 
occurred  at  the  bishop's  house,  and  seemed  not 
to  hear  a  further  intimation  from  Emmet,  to  the 
effect  that  he  believed  Miss  Wy  cliff  e  was  more  than 
a  match  for  her  father.  It  was  now  that  Emmet  dis- 
covered a  greater  possibility  of  likeness  between  the 
bishop  and  his  host  than  he  had  suspected  so  short 
a  time  before.  His  evident  curiosity  in  regard  to 
Miss  Wycliffe's  real  purpose  in  sending  the  professor 
to  him  remained  ungratified,  and  the  necessity 
which  now  faced  him  of  retreating  from  a  position 
in  which  he  had  not  been  met  caused  him  to  take 
his  actual  departure  presently  with  something  of  his 
earlier  restraint  of  manner.  They  separated,  like 
Glaucus  and  Diomedes,  representatives  of  different 
camps,  who  entertained  for  each  other  personally  the 
greatest  good- will  and  respect.  It  may  be,  however, 
that  each  gave  this  assurance  with  mental  reserva- 
tions more  or  less  subconscious. 

When  Leigh  was  once  more  alone,  he  walked  up 
and  down  his  room  restlessly  for  some  time.    His 
-+  82  +- 


THE    CANDIDATE 


first  sensation  was  one  of  exasperation  with  Miss 
Wycliffe  for  her  ill-advised  championship  of  a  man 
who  actually  seemed  to  have  the  assurance  to  think 
of  her  otherwise  than  as  his  patroness  and  good 
friend  from  afar.  If  she  suffered  embarrassment  from 
it  in  the  future,  he  reflected,  that  was  only  what  she 
might  have  anticipated.  It  would  be  a  delicate  mat- 
ter to  let  her  know  her  mistake.  More  than  that  — 
it  would  be  impossible.  Her  own  instinct  and  good 
sense  would  come  to  her  rescue  in  time.  Meanwhile, 
there  was  Emmet.  It  was  delightful  to  think  how 
she  had  failed  to  see  his  point  of  view,  while  sure 
that  she  saw  it  so  well.  He  could  not  wonder  that 
the  man's  head  was  slightly  turned,  and  now  that 
he  was  gone,  Leigh  felt  no  personal  resentment  on 
that  score.  As  he  reviewed  the  conversation  of  the 
evening,  he  wondered  which  were  really  the  more 
dangerous  to  the  state,  Emmet,  full  of  personal 
grievances  and  undigested  theories,  or  his  opponent, 
Judge  Swigart,  the  cynical  and  aristocratic  politi- 
cian. If  Emmet  desired  at  present  to  turn  the  exist- 
ing order  of  things  topsy-turvy,  it  was  because  such 
a  revolution  would  place  him  at  the  top.  The  judge, 
already  nearer  the  top,  was  naturally  a  champion  of 
things  as  they  were,  which  included  his  position  as  it 
was.  Though  Leigh  mused  in  this  sophisticated  vein, 
he  nevertheless  felt  considerable  confidence  that  the 
younger  man,  when  he  became  a  finished  product, 
would  be  a  better  citizen  than  his  political  rival. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  VI 


LENA     HARPSTER 


JL  HE  bell  in  the  cupola  of  the  First  Church  had 
just  rung  out  the  hour  of  midnight,  and  the  slow, 
deep  notes,  which  seemed  to  derive  a  certain  solem- 
nity from  the  graveyard  below,  were  carried  in 
broken  echoes  to  the  very  suburbs  of  the  city  on  the 
wings  of  a  moist,  intermittent  wind.  The  storm  of 
the  previous  night,  which  had  lifted  during  the 
day,  now  seemed  about  to  begin  anew,  and  the  air 
was  full  of  a  sense  of  unshed  rain.  Down  in  the 
street,  where  bits  of  waste  paper  and  other  small 
refuse  spun  around  under  the  swaying  electric  lights, 
the  huge  cleaner,  called  "the  devil  waggon,"  was 
just  beginning  its  nocturnal  task.  In  front  of  the 
City  Hall,  lately  such  a  scene  of  busy  life,  a  solitary 
car  stood  ready  to  start  upon  its  homeward  trip, 
its  two  violet  lamps  winking  in  the  wind  like  a  pair 
of  sleepy  eyes.  Only  the  all-night  drug-store  on  the 
opposite  corner  kept  up  an  appearance  of  wakeful- 
ness by  means  of  a  corona  of  milk-white  lights  that 
made  a  brilliant  spot  in  the  comparative  obscurity  of 
the  long  thoroughfare. 

Whatever    poetical    or   imaginative    suggestions 
-+  84  4~ 


LENA    HARPSTER 


might  lie  in  this  scene  for  others,  it  made  no  such 
appeal  to  Tom  Emmet  as  he  strode  along,  passing 
belated  pedestrians  in  his  course.  He  had  just  come 
from  a  protracted  consultation  with  his  political 
lieutenants,  and  deep  in  the  maze  of  his  own  plans 
the  twelve  beats  of  the  bell  now  reminded  him  that 
Lena  Harpster  must  have  been  waiting  for  his  com- 
ing a  full  hour  by  the  gate  where  they  had  planned 
to  meet.  Even  this  thought  could  scarcely  soften  his 
mood  as  yet.  Sure  of  the  experience  that  awaited 
him,  he  was  content  to  postpone  it  till  the  actual 
moment.  Politics  was  a  fact,  and  his  love  was  a  fact, 
and  each  was  assigned  its  appropriate  time.  This 
eye  for  the  actualities  of  the  moment  was  character- 
istic of  the  man.  A  street  to  him  was  only  a  thor- 
oughfare, in  which  there  were  certain  things  that 
concerned  him  personally,  or  through  which  he  must 
pass  to  reach  a  definite  destination.  To  Leigh,  on 
the  contrary,  it  was  sometimes  a  comparative  un- 
reality, a  vista  suggesting  thoughts  of  Thebes  and 
Babylon  and  Rome,  a  symbol  of  life's  pilgrimage, 
a  path  where  multitudinous'  sounds  blended  into  a 
universal  chant  of  the  voyager.  It  was  perhaps  this 
difference  that  constituted  an  element  of  attraction 
between  the  two*  men.  The  star-gazer  admired  the 
practical  qualities  that  made  for  success  in  the  world 
below  his  tower,  and  the  politician  paid  an  involun- 
tary tribute  to  a  spirituality  above  his  own. 

Lena  Harpster  also  heard  the  midnight  bell,  as 
-+  85  +■- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

she  stood  in  the  shadow  of  a  row  of  tall  brick  man- 
sions and  gazed  patiently  down  the  alley,  listening 
for  her  lover's  step.  She  was  undoubtedly  as  pretty 
a  girl  as  could  be  found  in  Warwick ;  so  pretty,  in 
fact,  that  when  she  applied  for  a  position  as  maid, 
experienced  housekeepers  were  wont  to  balance  her 
attractions  against  the  probity  of  their  men-folk. 
Not  infrequently  they  decided  that  the  former  might 
weigh  heavier  in  the  scale,  and  reserved  the  place 
for  one  less  favoured.  She  was  tall  and  slender, 
with  a  light  step  and  a  winning  grace  of  movement. 
When  she  spoke,  her  voice  was  pitched  in  a  key  that 
was  pleasantly  low  and  musical,  whether  from  lack 
of  physical  force,  or  because  of  timidity,  or  in  un- 
conscious imitation  of  those  she  served.  But  more 
likely  this  characteristic  was  merely  an  expression  of 
innate  refinement ;  for  Lena  was  of  native  American 
stock,  educated  in  a  country  school  of  some  merit ; 
and  she  regarded  herself  as  a  lady,  compared  with 
the  Irish  maids  and  coloured  cooks  among  whom 
her  lot  was  cast. 

Her  throat  was  long,  with  a  skin  of  peculiar  white- 
ness. When  her  sleeves  were  rolled  back  while  she 
washed  the  most  valuable  of  her  mistress's  glasses, 
her  arms  were  seen  to  be  of  such  a  satin  smoothness 
as  to  invite  instinctively  a  caressing  touch.  And 
one  felt  assured,  without  trying  the  experiment,  that 
her  resentment  at  such  a  liberty  would  be  expressed 
only  by  a  gentle  and  deprecatory  withdrawal.    This 


LENA    HARPSTER 


same  whiteness  of  her  complexion  was  enhanced 
rather  than  marred  by  the  presence  of  a  few  faint 
freckles,  that  suggested  sunny  fields  and  the  whole- 
some associations  of  country  life.  When  excited,  her 
grey  eyes  shone  with  a  luminous  brightness,  as  if  all 
her  vitality  were  gathered  there,  while  an  unex- 
pected colour  came  and  went  beneath  the  delicate 
texture  of  her  skin. 

But  of  all  Lena's  attractions,  none  was  more 
marked  than  her  smile.  It  was  frequent  and  un- 
affected, almost  maternal  in  its  good  nature  and 
indulgence,  and  disclosed  two  rows  of  little  teeth, 
pure  and  fragile  in  appearance  as  porcelain.  Yet 
this  smile,  so  inviting  to  those  who  wished  to  be 
invited,  was  disillusioning  to  cooler  and  more  dis- 
criminating observers,  for  in  it  her  ordinary  quality 
was  disclosed,  her  redundancy  of  sweetness,  her 
lack  of  that  intellect  which  enables  a  woman  to 
triumph  over  the  ravages  of  time. 

As  she  waited  there  by  the  gate,  she  marked  the 
lapse  of  time  by  the  cars  that  passed  the  end  of 
the  alley  at  intervals  of  fifteen  minutes,  occupied 
not  so  much  with  thoughts  as  with  sensations,  both 
those  of  the  moment  and  those  of  anticipation.  The 
air  was  delightfully  soft,  like  that  of  springtime, 
and  she  responded  to  its  caress  much  as  a  flower 
responds,  lifting  her  face  placidly  to  the  sky.  The 
atmosphere  had  now  reached  the  point  of  saturation, 
and  her  fine  hair  was  moistened  as  by  a  heavy  dew. 
-+  87  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

From  time  to  time  she  gave  an  affectionate  touch  to 
some  small  creature  which  she  held  warmly  in  the 
bend  of  her  arm  beneath  her  cape,  or  turned  her 
head  to  listen  to  the  stamping  of  the  horses  in  a 
near-by  stable.  Directly  across  the  alley,  a  large, 
half-finished  building  lifted  its  walls  in  the  dim 
light,  like  a  ruin,  exhaling  from  its  yawning  windows 
a  mingled  odour  of  fresh  pine  boards  and  plaster ; 
and  toward  these  squares  of  blackness  she  sometimes 
turned  a  look  almost  childish  in  its  suggestion  of 
vague  timidity. 

At  last,  when  she  had  lingered  long  past  the 
time  agreed  upon,  she  sighed,  but  without  resent- 
ment, and  resigned  herself  to  disappointment.  She 
wished  to  see  him  this  night  in  particular,  for  she 
had  something  of  importance  to  tell.  He  had  for- 
bidden her  to  write,  and  she  accepted  this  tyranny 
as  she  accepted  the  man.  Without  reflecting  deeply 
upon  this  elaborate  caution  of  his,  the  secrecy  of 
their  courtship  made  an  appeal  to  a  certain  demand 
of  her  own  nature  for  concealment  and  mystery. 
Where  a  spirited  girl  would  have  questioned  and 
resented,  she  merely  acquiesced. 

She  had  almost  abandoned  hope  when  she  caught 
sight  of  him  in  the  circle  of  electric  light  at  the  far 
end  of  the  alley.  He  gave  a  quick  look  to  left  and 
right  before  turning  in  her  direction.  She  would 
have  known  that  alert  turn  of  the  head  in  any  crowd, 
and  now,  as  his  footsteps  sounded  nearer  and  nearer 

-H-  88   h- 


LENA    HARPSTER 


along  the  narrow  board  walk  that  skirted  the  fences, 
she  unlatched  the  gate  and  came  out  to  meet  him. 
When  almost  upon  her,  his  eyes  caught  first  the 
white  strip  of  apron  beneath  her  dark  cape,  and 
then  the  dim  little  face  above  bending  forward  for 
a  greeting. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone,  "  did  you  think 
I  was  never  coming,  girlie  ?  " 

She  leaned  against  him  with  a  contented  sigh. 
"  You  have  come,  Tom,  and  that 's  all  I  care  about." 

As  he  pressed  her  to  him,  the  kitten,  which  had 
lain  concealed  till  now  in  purring  contentment  be- 
neath her  cape,  leaped  to  the  ground  and  disappeared 
in  the  darkness. 

"How  I  hate  a  cat ! "  he  exclaimed,  startled. 
"  I  'd  like  to  set  my  dog  on  the  beast."  His  irrita- 
tion merely  elicited  a  little  ripple  of  amusement,  for 
though  she  was  submissive  to  his  will,  she  was  never 
afraid  of  his  censure.  "  Come,"  he  continued ;  "  this 
is  no  place  to  stand.  We  will  go  into  that  new  build- 
ing across  the  way." 

He  took  her  hand  and  guided  her  between  scat- 
tered blocks  of  stone,  over  a  shaking  plank,  and 
into  the  darkness  she  never  would  have  ventured  to 
enter  alone.  The  large  room  in  which  they  found 
themselves  was  already  floored.  The  smell  of  fresh 
plaster,  which  was  perceptible  even  from  without, 
was  here  intensified,  and  he  sniffed  it  with  relish, 
for  such  works  of  construction  always  appealed  to 
^  89  -^ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

his  nature.  An  open  window,  facing  the  street,  ad- 
mitted a  misty  illumination  from  the  electric  light 
beyond,  and  disclosed  in  one  corner  a  heap  of 
boards. 

"  Now,"  he  said  eagerly,  taking  her  almost  roughly 
by  the  shoulders  and  turning  her  about,  "  give  me 
a  kiss." 

All  the  graciousness  and  charm  were  with  her, 
all  the  strength  with  him.  He  was  an  abrupt  and 
dictatorial  lover,  but  she  was  a  born  sweetheart.  At 
the  moment  when  her  arms  were  twined  about  him 
she  most  perfectly  expressed  herself.  He  drank  in 
her  kisses  thirstily ;  then  grasped  her  wrists  firmly 
and  removed  them  from  his  neck,  as  if  he  realised  a 
peculiar  responsibility. 

"  There,  Lena,"  he  protested,  "  that  will  do." 
But  he  still  continued  to  hold  her  wrists.  "Just 
like  a  couple  of  pipestems,"  he  remarked.  "  How 
easily  I  could  break  them !  " 

She  accepted  the  comment  as  a  tribute  to  her 
delicacy,  a  proof  of  his  strength.  It  was  this 
strength  that  drew  her,  so  that  she  swayed  toward 
him  involuntarily ;  but  even  though  it  contained  an 
element  of  possible  cruelty,  it  was  not  purely  physi- 
cal. Perhaps  a  realisation  of  this  fact  allowed  her 
to  shelve  upon  him  entirely  the  responsibility  of  her 
impulsiveness. 

"Come  over  here,  Tom,"  she  pleaded,  drawing 
him  into  the  corner,  "  and  sit  down.    I  want  to  tell 


LENA    HARPSTER 


you  something.  Besides,  I  'm  half  dead  with  stand- 
ing." 

The  hint  of  pathos  in  her  last  words  was  lost 
upon  him,  for  he  was  almost  incapable  of  appreciat- 
ing physical  weariness.  He  knew  her  ready  forgive- 
ness also  so  well  that  he  took  it  for  granted,  with- 
out even  offering  an  explanation  of  his  lateness.  It 
was  characteristic  of  their  relationship  that  he  felt 
no  desire  to  tell,  nor  she  to  hear,  the  details  of  the 
political  struggle  now  drawing  to  a  close.  She  was 
too  purely  his  sweetheart  to  share  his  cares ;  her 
loving  embrace  sufficed  for  their  lightening.  Even 
in  the  shadow  of  their  retreat  they  could  see  each 
other's  faces  distinctly,  hers  moonlike,  with  hair  like 
an  halo  of  the  moon,  and  his  of  more  swarthy  hue. 
If  she  was  beautiful  in  his  eyes,  he  fulfilled  no  less 
her  ideal  of  manhood ;  and  certainly  an  impartial 
witness  could  not  have  said  that  either  judgment 
was  unfounded. 

"  Well,"  he  began,  after  surveying  her  a  few 
moments  with  appreciation,  "  out  with  it.  Some  new 
man  is  chasing  after  you.    Who  is  he  ?  " 

She  leaned  her  face  against  his  shoulder,  then  sat 
up  and  shook  her  head  prettily,  pleased  with  the 
thought  of  his  jealousy. 

"I  can't  help  it,  Tom.  That  impudent  little 
Hollister  Pyle  won't  give  me  a  moment's  peace." 

"  What  does  he  do  ?  "  Emmet  catechised  grimly. 

"  He  makes  a  grab  for  me  every  time  I  pass  him 
-+  91  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

on  the  stairs ;  that  is,  when  his  mother  is  n't  look- 
ing." 

u  Why  don't  you  turn  around  and  break  his 
face  ?  "  he  demanded  angrily,  lapsing  into  graphic 
vernacular.  The  suggestion  was  obviously  too  ab- 
surd to  need  reply.  "  I  'd  like  to  get  my  hands  on 
the  young  whelp/'  he  went  on,  squaring  his  shoul- 
ders.   "  I  would  n't  leave  a  whole  bone  in  his  body." 

"  You  can't  do  that,  Tom,  dear,"  she  expostulated, 
in  gentle  alarm. 

"No,  I  can't,"  he  admitted  reluctantly.  "It 
would  n't  do  to  be  pinched  for  assault  and  battery 
only  a  fortnight  before  election.  I  won't  write  him 
a  threatening  anonymous  letter,  either.  That  is  n't 
my  way  of  doing  business.  I  tell  you,  Lena,  you  've 
got  to  get  rid  of  him,  yourself." 

"  I  will,"  she  declared,  with  what  was,  for  her,  a 
tone  of  decision.    "  I  'm  going  to  leave  to-morrow." 

"  That  is  n't  getting  rid  of  him  ;  that 's  running 
away,"  he  fumed,  profoundly  dissatisfied.  "  You  '11 
meet  the  same  sort  of  thing  in  the  next  place.  Why 
don't  you  stay  and  fight  it  out  ?  " 

"  I  don't  like  the  girls,  either,"  she  explained. 
"  They  're  all  against  me." 

"  A  lot  of  cats,"  he  muttered.  "  But  where  are 
you  going  ?  " 

"  To  Bishop  WyclihVs."  ■ 

"  No  !  "  he  cried: 

"  Why  not  ?  "   she  questioned.    "  It  's  an  easier 


LENA    HARPSTER 


place  than  this  one.  There  are  no  young  men  there, 
Tom.  That  ought  to  satisfy  you.  I  saw  Miss 
Wycliffe  to-day." 

"I  don't  like  the  bishop,"  he  said,  with  some 
hesitation,  as  if  aware  of  the  lameness  of  the  objec- 
tion, "  and  he  does  n't  like  me.  There  's  no  man  in 
this  town  more  opposed  to  me  than  he  is.  I  don't 
want  you  to  go  there." 

"  You  never  let  me  do  what  I  want  to,  Tom,"  she 
complained  despairingly. 

He  caught  her  in  his  arms  and  gave  her  an  exas- 
perated kiss.  The  logic  of  the  argument  was  with 
her,  and  he  could  meet  it  only  by  an  unreasonable 
prohibition.  "  I  don't  want  you  to  go,  anyhow," 
he  reiterated. 

"  But  I  've  got  to  go  somewhere,"  she  insisted, 
placing  her  two  hands  upon  his  shoulders.  She 
attempted  to  give  him  a  little  shake,  with  the  result 
that  she  shook  only  herself.  His  physical  immobility 
was  so  suggestive  of  his  mental  attitude  that  she 
desisted,  with  sudden  meekness,  and  the  point  was 
apparently  settled  as  he  wished.  He  possessed  him- 
self of  her  hand,  and  began  to  stroke  the  inside  of 
her  arm,  as  if  he  had  discovered  a  new  charm  in  her. 

"  If  you  did  n't  give  him  what  he  deserved,  what 
did  yon  do,  Lena  ?  "  he  demanded,  going  back  to 
the  incident  that  had  aroused  his  jealousy. 

"  I  drew  away,  Tom." 

"  As  gentle  as  a  kitten,  and  without  a  word,  too, 

-*•  93   +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

I  '11  be  bound.  You  're  altogether  too  pretty  — 
that 's  the  trouble  with  you.  I  ought  to  put  you  in 
a  cage,  to  keep  you  safe." 

"Tom,  dear,"  she  said  suddenly,  "I  hear  the 
Pyles  talking  about  politics  when  I  wait  on  the 
table.  They  say  that  you  have  n't  the  ghost  of  a 
chance  to  be  elected.  Now  that  you  've  thrown  up 
your  job,  what  will  you  do  if  you  are  defeated  ?  " 

He  emitted  a  short  laugh,  expressive  of  confidence 
and  scorn.  "  You  were  n't  such  a  little  fool  as  to 
suppose  I  intended  to  stand  on  the  back  of  a  street- 
car all  my  life,  were  you  ?  Five  years  of  that  sort 
of  thing  is  about  enough  for  me,  and  I  've  worked 
it  for  all  it  was  worth."  A  desire  to  impress  her 
overcame  his  innate  secretiveness.  "  There  's  more 
in  that  job  than  the  measly  salary  the  company 
pays ;  and  a  man  's  entitled  to  take  something  of 
what  would  be  his  by  rights  if  things  were  as  they 
should  be  in  this  world.  There  's  a  higher  law  than 
the  law  made  by  the  privileged  few  for  their  own 
enriching,  and  sometimes  a  man  has  to  take  the 
matter  into  his  own  hands  and  decide  what 's  due 
him."  This  was  rather  an  elaborate  way  of  telling 
her  that,  like  most  of  his  fellows,  he  was  accustomed 
to  "  knock  down  "  fares  on  crowded  trips,  when  it 
could  be  done  undetected.  Perhaps  he  took  some 
satisfaction  in  going  over  again  the  arguments  by 
which  he  justified  the  practice.  Perhaps  he  was 
curious  to  see  whether  she  would  make  a  condemna- 
^  94  h- 


LENA    HARPSTER 


tory  comment,  but  nothing  was  further  from  her 
thoughts,  and  he  went  on.  "I  have  n't  spent  a  cent 
of  my  baseball  salary  for  years.  Where  do  you 
suppose  it  is  ?  " 

"  In  the  savings  bank  ?  "  she  suggested. 

He  chuckled  at  her  simplicity.  "  Better  than  that 
—  salted  down  —  invested.  I  could  live  on  the 
interest  of  it,  after  a  fashion,  if  I  wanted  to."  He 
was  flattered  by  her  wide-eyed  admiration  and  won- 
der, and  moved  to  disclose  himself  to  her  still  more. 
"  Why,  look  here,  Lena,  there  's  more  than  politics 
in  this  game.  They  say  I  have  n't  the  ghost  of  a 
show.  We  '11  see  about  that ;  but  whichever  way  it 
turns  out,  I  shan't  be  a  beggar.  Only,  if  I  am 
elected,  I  '11  take  every  cent  I  've  got  and  put  it 
into  the  bonds  the  city  is  going  to  issue  to  build 
the  new  bridge.  There 's  nothing  better  in  the 
country  than  the  bonds  of  this  town.  None  of  your 
Central  America  rubber  bonds  or  Colorado  mining 
stock  for  me.  I  want  something  I  know  about  and 
can  keep  my  eye  on." 

"  Then  you  are  n't  poor ! "  she  cried  gladly. 
"  You  're  rich  !  " 

He  squared  his  jaw  determinedly,  and  his  eyes 
glowed.  "Not  rich  yet,  but  I  will  be  —  I  will  be 
yet!" 

She  did  not  doubt  that  he  could  be  anything  he 
wished,  but  from  this  very  confidence  in  his  power 
a  great  fear  was  born.  She  put  her  lips  close  to 
-*  95  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

his  ear,  and  whispered  tremulously :  "  Tom,  dear,  I 
know  you  think  I  'm  pretty,  and  all  that,  but  do 
you  love  me,  Tom  ?  When  you  get  to  be  mayor,  or 
when  you  're  rich,  will  you  love  me  just  the  same  ? 
You  won't  be  too  proud  to  think  of  marrying  me 
then  ?    Tell  me  you  won't !  " 

She  withdrew  herself  and  placed  her  hands  on  his 
shoulders  as  before,  an  attitude  pathetically  sug- 
gestive of  her  effort  to  fix  his  attention  upon  her 
words.  The  poise  of  her  little  head  was  extremely 
winning  in  her  desire  for  his  admiration.  "  Do  you 
think  I  would  make  a  pretty  wife,  even  for  a 
mayor  ?  "  she  faltered. 

He  caught  her  once  more  in  his  arms,  as  if  the 
word  wife  had  awakened  within  him  a  curious  in- 
tensity of  feeling,  but  for  once  she  was  not  satisfied. 
Gradually  her  slender  form  became  shaken  by  a 
storm  of  convulsive  sobs.  He  waited  in  silence,  with 
all  a  primitive  man's  uncomprehending  distress  at 
a  woman's  tears. 

"Don't  borrow  trouble,  Lena,"  he  said  simply. 
The  tone,  more  than  the  words,  showed  that  his 
mood  had  become  stern,  almost  resentful.  In  fact, 
it  was  the  first  time  she  had  given  him  anything 
but  pleasure,  and  pleasure  was  all  he  desired  from 
her. 

His  answer  was  not  what  she  had  hoped  for,  but 
her  woman's  wisdom  forbade  her  to  press  the  mat- 
ter then.    Of  his  love  she  felt  no  doubt;  the  in- 

-H-  96  +- 


LENA    HARPSTER 


tensity  of  his  look,  the  well-nigh  fierce  impulsive- 
ness of  his  caresses,  showed  her  that  the  appeal 
she  made  to  him  was  almost  irresistible.  Almost, 
but  not  quite.  She  could  never  be  in  his  company 
long  without  a  consciousness  of  the  warring  ele- 
ments within  him  —  on  this  side  love,  on  that 
side  ambition,  fighting  foot  to  foot  and  point  to 
point,  neither  strong  enough  to  win  the  victory. 
Sometimes  he  would  gaze  at  her  in  silence,  with 
his  warm,  speculative  eyes,  until,  drawn  like  a  fasci- 
nated bird,  she  fluttered  to  his  arms  in  the  hope  of 
the  great  decision,  but  her  hope  was  never  realised. 
Now  she  divined  that  tears  and  prayers  would  not 
help  her  cause;  he  must  be  allured  by  her  charm, 
not  driven  by  her  claims  upon  his  compassion. 

At  this  thought  she  recovered  her  composure  and 
dried  her  eyes,  and  strove  with  success  to  make  him 
forget  her  importunity.  Disarmed  and  soothed,  he 
sunk  down  to  a  lower  seat  beside  her  and  rested  his 
head  boyishly  upon  her  lap.  He  pushed  back  her 
short  sleeve,  nestled  his  face  in  the  bend  of  her  arm, 
and  kissed  it  hungrily.  The  action,  their  relative 
positions,  introduced  a  new  element  into  their  rela- 
tionship, to  which  her  deep  maternal  instinct  made 
quick  response.  With  a  new  tenderness  she  threw 
the  fold  of  her  cape  about  his  head  and  shoulders, 
and  held  him  close.  Thus  they  sat  for  some  time 
in  silence.  Beyond  the  warm  shelter  of  her  cape  he 
heard  the  faint  soughing  of  the  wind,  which  had 
-+  97  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

brought  the  rain  at  last,  a  drowsy  and  monotonous 
rain  that  lulled  his  senses.  Instinctively  he  rested 
heavily  upon  her  in  weary  abandonment.  Finally 
his  form  relaxed,  and  she  saw  that  he  was  fast 
asleep. 

The  strain  of  the  position  upon  her  back  and 
arms  grew  greater  each  moment,  till  it  was  almost 
more  than  she  could  endure ;  but  still  she  held  out 
bravely,  fearing  to  move  lest  she  should  wake  him 
from  the  sleep  he  seemed  so  much  to  need.  She 
knew  also  that  his  waking  would  mean  separation, 
and  she  could  not  bear  that  thought  as  yet,  before 
she  had  discovered  the  secret  of  success.  What  could 
she  do  more  than  she  had  done  to  make  herself 
indispensable  to  him  ?  That  was  the  question  which 
she  turned  over  in  her  mind  with  such  intensity 
that  she  almost  lost  her  sense  of  growing  distress. 
Indeed,  the  distress  of  body  and  mind  seemed 
strangely  one,  the  physical  tension  but  an  expres- 
sion of  the  mental. 

It  was  idle,  she  reflected,  to  think  of  studying 
politics  to  keep  pace  with  his  widening  interests. 
She  had  only  a  vague  conception  of  the  extent  to 
which  his  mind  had  been  enlarged  by  contact  with 
the  world,  but  she  was  shrewd  enough  to  know  that 
companionship  in  such  interests  was  not  what  he  de- 
sired in  her.  In  her  he  sought  only  rest  and  charm 
and  love.  Nor  was  it  dress  in  which  she  lacked, 
unless,  indeed,  he  desired  her  to  deck  herself  like 

-h   98   4- 


LENA    HARPSTER 


the  rich  women  of  the  society  he  scorned.  Just  as  a 
nurse's  habit  possesses  a  fascination  for  some  men, 
so  she  had  seen  that  her  little  cap,  her  very  apron, 
though  badges  of  servitude,  made  a  peculiar  appeal 
to  his  tenderness.  Other  men,  too,  had  thought  them 
becoming.  It  was  a  dress  to  reveal  her  beauty.  Her 
curves  were  the  softer  for  its  severity,  her  colour  the 
more  radiant  against  that  black  and  white.  On  the 
street  also  she  knew  he  could  find  no  fault  with 
her.  Like  many  a  pretty  woman  of  her  class,  she 
possessed  a  skill  in  dressing  like  a  lady,  and  ability 
in  making  small  means  cover  great  needs,  that 
amounted  to  genius.  No  —  there  was  only  one  thing 
to  do,  and  that  was  to  love  him  more  and  more,  until 
a  consciousness  of  her  love  so  pervaded  him,  even 
when  absent,  that  he  must  finally  come  back  to  her 
to  stay. 

The  cars  had  long  since  ceased  to  pass,  and  the 
silence  of  the  dead  of  night  settled  down  over  the 
city.  She  heard  the  coloured  cook  saying  good-bye 
to  her  lover  at  the  gate  where  she  herself  had 
waited,  their  low,  melodious  voices  and  happy  gur- 
gles of  laughter  as  soft  as  the  damp  wind  that  came 
puffing  in  through  the  open  window.  After  what 
seemed  an  interminable  lapse  of  time,  an  automobile 
went  past,  like  a  miniature  whirlwind,  dashing  the 
raindrops  right  and  left  from  its  gleaming  sides, 
bearing  some  late  revellers  through  the  deserted 
streets  at  a  rate  of  speed  forbidden  by  the  traffic  of 
-t  99  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  day.  Even  that  incident  became  a  distant  mem- 
ory, and  now  only  the  occasional  howl  of  a  prowling 
cat  broke  the  stillness,  a  strangely  ominous  and 
mournful  sound.  In  the  bar  of  light  upon  the  floor 
at  her  feet  the  shadow  of  the  tossing  branches  of  a 
tree  moved  continually,  till  she  closed  her  eyes  in 
dizziness. 

Hours  passed,  hours  that  seemed  a  lifetime.  The 
pain  extended  through  her  whole  frame,  and  tears 
of  mute  suffering  dropped  slowly  down  upon  the 
flap  of  the  cape  that  kept  her  lover  warm.  From 
time  to  time  she  shifted  her  position  gently  and  won 
a  temporary  relief,  but  presently  the  sense  of  strain 
returned,  and  yet  she  would  not  waken  him  and 
let  him  go.  It  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  seen 
him  asleep,  —  one  of  love's  tenderest  experiences, 
—  and  moreover  he  was  sleeping  with  a  sense  of 
absolute  peace  and  security  in  her  arms.  She  longed 
to  slip  down  beside  him,  to  rest  her  cheek  against 
his,  and  to  go  with  him  into  that  shadowy  world  of 
dreams. 

Suddenly  out  of  the  darkness  a  soft  little  form, 
wet  with  the  rain,  leaped  lightly  upon  her.  The 
discarded  kitten  had  found  its  mistress  at  last. 
Gentle  as  the  impact  was,  it  sufficed  to  disturb  her 
balance,  and  she  sank  slowly  downward  in  a  faint. 
Her  arm,  locked  about  his  head,  saved  her  from  a 
fall,  but  the  pressure  of  her  body  awoke  him.  He 
struggled  confusedly,  oppressed  by  a  sense  of  suffo- 
-+  100  +- 


LENA    HARPSTER 


cation  and  by  a  vague  fear ;  then,  scarcely  awake, 
he  caught  her  in  his  arms. 

"  Lena !  "  he  cried,  startled  by  the  inexplicable 
change.    "  Lena  !  " 

He  touched  her  cheek,  he  listened  in  vain  to  hear 
her  breathe,  and  then  an  icy  terror  gripped  his 
heart.  Scarcely  knowing  what  he  did  or  why,  he 
raised  her  carefully  in  his  arms  and  carried  her  to 
the  window,  where  the  fine  rain  sifted  in  upon  her 
face.  He  felt  her  shiver  slightly,  and  then  her  eyes 
were  looking  into  his. 

"  Thank  God  !  "  he  said  brokenly.  "  I  thought 
that  you  were  dead." 

She  smiled,  and  moved  her  face  toward  him.  He 
took  her  once  more  to  their  former  seat,  and  contin- 
ued to  hold  her  in  his  arms  as  if  she  were  a  child. 

"I  feel  better  now,"  she  murmured.  "It  was 
nothing,  Tom.  You  fell  asleep,  and  I  held  your 
head  until  I  toppled  over  —  that  was  all.  Were  you 
frightened  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  were  dead,"  he  repeated,  deeply 
awed  by  the  grim  spectre  so  foreign  to  his  experi- 
ence. 

"  And  did  you  care  so  very  much  ?  "  she  ventured, 
her  heart  beginning  to  beat  high  again.  For  answer 
he  gently  raised  her  cheek  to  his  and  held  her  close. 
There  was  no  need  of  words  to  tell  her  how  much 
he  was  moved,  for  he  had  never  held  her  thus  before. 
Through  her  lover's  strange  moods  of  fierce  ten- 
-+  101  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

derness  and  stern  denial  she  had  won  her  way  at 
last,  as  she  now  believed,  to  a  perfect  understand- 
ing. He  could  not  live  without  her ;  it  was  merely 
a  question  of  time. 

His  continued  tenderness  gave  her  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  this  assurance  was  justified.  Only  at  the 
gate,  when  he  bade  her  good-night,  did  he  seem  to 
be  seized  once  more  in  the  grip  of  contending 
emotions.  He  started  to  go  without  a  word  or  kiss, 
then,  turning  back,  he  took  her  in  his  arms  with  a 
grip  that  hurt,  calling  her  his  Lena,  his  little  girl, 
his  wife.  The  last  word  broke  from  him  with  an 
intensity  that  caused  the  blood&to  riot  in  her  heart, 
a  joy  that  was  shot  through  w^h  wondering  fear  of 
the  passion  she  had  aroused.    * 

When  his  figure  had  disappeared  in  the  darkness, 
she  left  the  gate  and  entered  the  kitchen  through 
the  low  window  which  the  cook  had  left  unlocked 
against  her  coming.  She  lighted  a  candle,  and 
looked  at  herself  curiously  in  a  mirror  that  hung  on 
the  wall.  The  grain  of  the  cheap  glass  distorted 
her  features,  but  reflected  faithfully  her  heightened 
colour  and  the  drops  that  sparkled  like  jewels  in 
her  light  hair.  Apparently  she  was  satisfied  with 
the  inspection,  for  she  smiled  happily,  and  then 
went  slowly  upstairs  to  her  narrow  room  beneath 
the  roof. 

Meanwhile,  Emmet  was  striding  along  the  gleam- 
ing street,  regardless  of  the  increasing  rain  that 
-+  102  +- 


LENA    HARPSTER 


soaked  him  to  the  skin.  From  time  to  time  he  shot 
out  his  arm  violently,  as  if  he  would  push  back  some 
invisible  foe,  or  would  extricate  himself  from  the 
meshes  of  a  net  that  was  closing  in  upon  him. 
Again,  he  swore  aloud,  as  one  who  curses  a  malign 
and  unmerited  fate. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   STAR-GAZERS 

xN  the  following  night  the  storm  terminated  its 
triduan  existence  some  time  between  darkness  and 
dawn.  It  must  have  been  in  the  earlier  hours  that 
the  change  occurred,  for  Warwick  gazed  from  its 
windows  in  the  morning  to  find  the  ground  rimed 
with  hoar-frost,  that  looked  like  streaks  of  crusted 
salt.  The  sun  was  scarcely  three  hours  in  the 
ascendant  before  the  frost  disappeared,  like  the 
withdrawal  of  a  silvery  veil,  disclosing  the  bareness 
it  had  beautified  so  briefly.  Even  the  most  casual 
observer  could  now  see  that  autumn  had  made  a 
long  forward  march  in  the  last  three  days  toward 
the  confines  of  winter. 

That  afternoon  Leigh  called  upon  Miss  Wycliffe, 
not  without  a  thought  that  the  interval  which  had 
elapsed  since  the  dinner  was  decidedly  short.  Still, 
he  would  come  ostensibly  to  report  the  result  of  the 
interview  she  had  suggested,  and,  as  the  election  was 
not  far  distant,  he  felt  that  this  excuse,  if  one  were 
needed,  was  entirely  adequate.  To  his  chagrin,  he 
found  that  she  was  not  at  home.  The  maid  informed 
him  further  that  she  had  gone  to  New  York  for  a 
-+  104  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

week.  As  he  walked  slowly  away,  he  wondered 
almost  resentfully  at  this  sudden  disappearance,  as 
if  he  felt  that  she  ought  to  stay  in  Warwick  and 
watch  the  result  of  her  experiment.  But  he  did  not 
consider  that  if  the  daughters  of  men  would  be 
clothed  like  the  lilies  of  the  field,  they  must  seek 
periodically  the  place  most  remote  from  the  solitude 
in  which  their  models  grow. 

The  week  that  followed  was  one  in  which  autumn 
flung  out  all  her  brave  banners  in  a  final  pageantry. 
The  nights  were  cold  and  still,  with  stars  peculiarly 
brilliant.  Each  morning  the  mists  hung  like  fleecy 
cobwebs  in  the  valley,  filaments  that  parted  and 
drifted  away  at  the  touch  of  the  sun,  disclosing  the 
magic  work  of  the  nocturnal  frosts  upon  the  foliage 
of  the  trees.  It  seemed  to  Leigh,  looking  from  his 
eyrie,  that  Nature  had  never  before  painted  a  pano- 
rama of  such  wondrous  beauty.  Here  a  solitary  elm 
in  the  meadow  below  the  cliff,  in  the  region  which 
the  collegians  called  "over  the  rock,"  stood  forth 
all  crimson  against  the  green  sward;  further  on, 
the  woods  began,  masses  of  yellow  and  red  maples, 
with  scattered  pines  and  oaks  of  more  sombre  hue, 
billowing  gently  upward  toward  the  blue  of  the 
distant  skyline. 

It  was  now  that  the  young  astronomer  began  to 
take  up  once  more  the  pursuit  that  had  been  so  long 
interrupted.  He  felt  that  if  he  were  to  accomplish 
something,  he  must  begin  a  series  of  observations 

r*  105   +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

with  a  definite  end  in  view.  There  was  also  another 
motive  than  the  desire  of  professional  reputation  — 
a  wish  to  increase  his  worth  in  Miss  Wycliffe's  eyes 
by  achievement.  Her  absence  from  town,  though 
of  only  a  few  days'  duration,  freed  him  from  the 
distraction  which  the  very  possibility  of  seeing  her 
presented,  and  night  after  night  he  ascended  to  his 
watch-tower. 

But  he  presently  discovered  that  it  was  one  thing 
to  take  observations  on  Mount  Hamilton,  where  no 
other  claims  occupied  part  of  his  time,  and  quite 
another  to  watch  by  night  and  teach  by  day.  The 
bishop  was  right  in  saying  that  his  chief  occupa- 
tion must  needs  be  the  teaching  of  elementary  math- 
ematics to  undergraduates.  For  any  satisfactory 
results,  prolonged  observations  must  be  made  from 
twilight  to  dawn,  and  such  periods  of  wakefulness 
were  impossible  when  he  must  present  himself 
before  a  class  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Not 
that  this  was  necessary  each  day.  His  hours  were 
irregular,  but  the  morning  classes  were  sufficiently 
numerous  to  break  up  the  continuity  of  his  observa- 
tions, and  to  render  their  results  unsure. 

In  this  quandary,  he  ought,  perhaps,  to  have 
abandoned  his  purpose  and  to  have  taken  up  some 
problem  in  pure  mathematics,  but  here  the  perversity 
of  human  nature  interposed.  The  forbidden,  or  at 
least  difficult,  road  was  the  one  he  desired  to  travel, 
and  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  turn  back, 
-+  106  *- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

though  he  saw  no  prospect  of  going  far.  Instead, 
he  began  to  make  a  few  preliminary  observations 
at  random,  and  enjoyed  the  sight  of  the  familiar 
constellations  as  one  enjoys  a  return  to  old  faces 
and  associations.  For  the  present  he  swept  the  skies 
leisurely,  feasting  on  the  infinite  wonders  which  no 
consuetude  could  render  commonplace.  He  longed 
for  some  unusual  phenomenon  in  the  sidereal  tracts, 
a  comet,  or  a  temporary  star,  one  of  those  strange 
wanderers  that  appear  for  a  time,  attain  a  brief  and 
vivid  maximum,  and  vanish  into  the  darkness  from 
which  they  have  emerged.  But  only  about  a  score 
of  such  objects  had  been  credibly  reported  in  his- 
toric times,  and  he  searched  the  thoroughfare  of  the 
Milky  Way,  the  region  in  which  they  were  wont  to 
appear,  with  small  hope  of  reward. 

One  morning  he  received  a  letter  from  Miss 
Wycliffe,  in  which  she  named  that  night,  if  the 
skies  were  clear,  for  the  observation  she  had  men- 
tioned at  the  dinner.  He  had  almost  forgotten  the 
wish  she  then  expressed  in  the  greater  importance 
she  seemed  to  attach  to  her  plan  to  help  Emmet.  Now 
he  was  surprised  to  discover  that  this  matter,  which 
had  put  him  to  such  pains,  had  apparently  slipped 
from  her  mind  altogether.  It  gave  him  a  conception 
of  the  multiplicity  of  her  interests.  It  was  as  if  she 
could  not  attend  to  all  her  charitable  plans  in  person, 
but,  having  chosen  a  responsible  agent,  she  dismissed 
the  subject  from  her  mind.  Nor  was  he  offended 
-+  107  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

that  she  did  not  seem  to  consider  the  possibility  of 
his  having  another  engagement.  On  the  contrary, 
the  omission  might  imply  her  knowledge  of  the 
absolute  unimportance  to  him  of  any  claims  com- 
pared with  those  she  chose  to  make.  Thus  his  love 
fed  on  crumbs  invisible  to  her  from  whose  table 
they  had  inadvertently  fallen. 

Had  he  been  less  infatuated,  he  might  have  divined 
in  this  omission  one  of  those  unconscious  revelations 
of  character — the  selfishness  of  a  spoiled  and  petted 
woman,  who  has  come  to  assume  that  the  convenience 
of  others  must  necessarily  coincide  with  her  own. 
But  Leigh  saw  only  a  hint  of  something  confidential 
between  them.  He  experienced  also  that  peculiar 
intensity  of  interest  which  attends  a  lover's  first 
glimpse  of  his  mistress's  handwriting.  Even  if  it 
were  commonplace,  it  would  seem  to  him  like  no 
other  in  the  world ;  but  here  there  was  really  some- 
thing distinctive.  The  letters  were  almost  micro- 
scopically small,  and  crowded  into  the  centre  of  the 
page  with  the  effect  of  a  decorative  panel.  He  car- 
ried the  epistle  about  with  him  all  day,  and  observed 
the  weather  with  solicitous  attention,  but  no  change 
occurred.  The  turquoise  sky  remained  without  a 
cloud.  Fires  from  burning  leaves  sent  up  sluggish 
pillars  of  smoke,  that  spread  out  equilaterally  above 
the  trees  in  the  windless  air. 

It  so  happened  that  he  had  the  afternoon  to  him- 
self. The  prospect  of  inaction  was  intolerable,  so  he 
-h  108  *- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

went  down  into  the  cool  vaults  below  the  Hall  to  take 
out  his  wheel  for  an  afternoon  of  exploration.  In 
these  subterranean  regions,  perhaps  more  here  than 
elsewhere,  the  imaginative  appeal  of  the  Hall  was 
still  present.  As  he  prepared  his  wheel  for  the  trip, 
which  he  meant  should  be  a  long  one,  he  glanced  up 
at  the  arched  windows,  down  whose  wide,  slanting 
sills  the  sunlight  poured  in  a  flood  of  dusty  gold. 
The  walls  of  these  foundations  were  five  feet  in 
thickness,  built  as  if  to  keep  out  an  invading  host. 
Even  in  this  unfrequented  place,  each  stone  was  care- 
fully cut,  and  fitted  with  exact  nicety  in  its  place. 
There  was  no  rubble,  no  mere  filling.  Here  was  a 
lavishness  of  expenditure,  a  conscience  in  building, 
rare  in  modern  times.  Leigh  looked  down  the  long 
succession  of  massive  archways,  dwindling  into  the 
distance,  with  vague  thoughts  of  the  Castle  of  Chil- 
lon  and  the  Man  with  the  Iron  Mask.  When  he 
ascended  again  into  the  warmth  and  sunlight  of  the 
open  air,  he  had  a  passing  sense  of  having  emerged 
from  a  brief  incarceration. 

He  pushed  his  bicycle  through  the  maple  walk  to 
the  brow  of  the  hill  from  which  he  had  first  looked 
over  the  valley  toward  the  west.  There  in  the  dis- 
tance the  village  he  had  noted  sparkled  like  a  hand- 
ful of  white  dice  thrown  carelessly  down  against 
the  earth.  He  fixed  upon  this  point  as  the  terminus 
of  his  ride,  and  began  to  coast  down  the  long  slope, 
leaving  a  trail  of  grey  dust  to  mark  his  flight. 
-+  109  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

There  was  a  peculiar  exhilaration  in  the  dry  heat 
of  the  October  afternoon.  Flocks  of  crows  passed 
over  his  head  with  raucous  cries.  The  cornstalks 
were  stacked  in  serried  array,  like  Indian  wigwams, 
and  heaps  of  apples,  red  and  yellow  and  russet 
brown,  lay  ungathered  in  the  orchards. 

Through  this  rich  and  varied  scene  he  sped  swiftly, 
filled  with  all  a  Westerner's  keen  appreciation  of 
a  New  England  landscape,  constantly  contrasting 
the  arid  glories  of  deserts  he  had  seen  with  the 
plenty  about  him.  The  farms  of  the  fertile  tracts 
of  California  were  infinitely  greater,  the  methods 
by  which  they  were  worked  more  modern,  but 
about  these  smaller  homesteads  hung  an  atmosphere 
of  history  and  romance.  Leigh  might  champion 
the  West  in  the  presence  of  the  bishop,  but  now, 
alone  with  his  own  thoughts,  he  paid  tribute  to 
the  land  in  which  the  liberties  of  his  country  had 
been  cradled.  He  seemed  to  have  known  it  of  old, 
though  he  now  saw  it  for  the  first  time.  This  ex- 
perience was  not  a  discovery,  but  a  reacquaintance. 
From  these  old  farmhouses,  with  their  sagging  roof- 
trees  and  windows  filled  with  small  panes,  the  min- 
ute men  had  issued  with  their  muskets  to  repel 
the  invader.  At  yonder  sweep-well  some  English 
soldier  had  perhaps  stopped  in  his  dusty  retreat 
for  a  drink  of  water,  and  had  paid  the  penalty  of 
his  life  for  the  delay.  Above  all,  the  fact  that  this 
was  the  native  country  of  the  woman  he  loved  was 

-».    110    4- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

ever  present  in  his  mind  to  add  radiance  to  the 
afternoon. 

At  a  point  where  the  road  took  a  sudden  dip  and 
curved  in  a  wide  sweep  toward  the  southwest,  his  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  an  old  house  that  lay  nestled 
in  the  bend  as  in  an  encircling  arm.  The  colour 
had  once  been  red,  but  was  now  faded  by  many 
suns  and  washed  thin  by  innumerable  rains.  A  ram- 
part of  loose  stones,  overgrown  with  brambles  and 
broken  in  places  as  if  for  the  passage  of  cattle, 
enclosed  the  premises,  and  the  typical  well  of  the 
country  lifted  its  curving  pole  in  the  front  yard  only 
a  few  feet  from  the  roadway.  Two  women  were 
seated  on  the  worn  stone  slab  in  the  opening  that 
served  for  a  gate,  evidently  basking  in  the  afternoon 
sun  and  engaged  in  desultory  chat.  When  Leigh 
dismounted  from  his  wheel  and  asked  for  a  drink  of 
water,  they  moved  slightly  to  let  him  pass,  and  he 
went  up  to  the  well  to  help  himself.  He  lowered 
and  raised  the  dripping  bucket,  not  without  awk- 
wardness and  a  sense  of  pleasure  in  the  unaccus- 
tomed task,  as  well  as  a  memory  of  the  poem  which 
had  immortalized  that  simple  operation.  It  required 
only  a  casual  glance  about  to  see  that  this  was  a 
poultry  farm.  At  the  back  of  the  house  he  saw  a 
number  of  chicken  runs,  where  a  man  was  engaged 
in  repair  work.  The  air  was  filled  with  the  comfort- 
able clucking  of  hens,  the  most  cheerful  of  country 
sounds.  From  his  present  slight  elevation  he  had  a 
-+  111  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

view  also  of  the  trolley  line  which  bisected  the  farm 
and  crossed  the  road  a  few  yards  further  on. 

As  he  paused,  before  going  on  his  way,  to  thank 
the  women  for  their  courtesy,  he  was  struck,  as  he 
had  not  been  at  first,  by  the  appearance  of  the 
younger.  So  delicate  she  seemed,  so  daintily  dressed, 
that  he  wondered  to  find  her  in  this  rustic  setting. 
In  her  lap  she  held  a  small  basket  of  eggs,  and  he 
guessed  correctly  that  she  was  a  visitor,  waiting  for 
the  next  car  to  Warwick.  He  asked  the  distance 
to  his  destination,  and  from  her  appeal  to  the  older 
woman  he  learned  that  they  were  mother  and  daugh- 
ter. During  these  few  moments  he  began  to  realise 
that  she  might  well  be  called  a  beauty,  though  her 
pale,  ethereal  type  was  not  one  that  made  a  personal 
appeal  to  him.  Her  whole  figure  was  steept  in  sun- 
shine*  and  as  her  lips  parted  in  a  smile,  he  noticed 
how  the  strong  rays  penetrated  her  cheeks,  filling 
her  mouth  with  a  faint  pink  light  and  intensifying 
the  whiteness  of  her  teeth.  Just  so  they  penetrated 
the  shells  of  the  white  eggs  in  her  basket. 

This  picture  remained  with  him  for  some  time. 
The  girl  had  appeared  almost  as  fragile  as  the  bur- 
den she  carried,  and  suggested  a  train  of  thought 
concerning  a  certain  type  of  New  Englander  whose 
strength  is  spent.  It  was  such  people,  he  reflected, 
who  still  clung  to  the  old  soil  whence  the  sturdier 
representatives  of  the  stock  had  long  since  departed, 
destined  to  give  way  at  last  to  the  swarming  Polack, 
-••  112  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

the  French  Canadian,  and  the  Italian.  The  thought 
was  melancholy,  and  coloured  to  no  little  extent  the 
remainder  of  his  ride.  This  incident,  which  was 
only  one  of  several,  was  afterward  revived  to  win  a 
permanent  place  in  his  memory  when  he  came  to 
know  the  girl  as  Lena  Harpster ;  for  her  part  in  the 
drama  of  the  immediate  future  was  destined  to  be 
connected  strangely  with  his  own. 

Seven  o'clock  found  him  again  upon  the  tower, 
setting  the  telescope  in  order  and  preparing  for  his 
guests.  He  could  scarcely  expect  them  for  an  hour, 
but  he  walked  restlessly  about  the  enclosure  of  the 
parapet,  breathing  gratefully  the  cool  night  air. 
The  lamp  within  his  cabin  shone  dimly  through  the 
small  windows  upon  his  promenade.  Beyond  the  bat- 
tlements to  the  east,  the  evening  star,  which  the 
Eoman  poet  called  Noctifer,  began  to  bicker  and 
brighten  in  the  serene  sky,  and  the  last  vestige  of 
the  sun's  afterglow  had  now  faded  from  the  west. 
It  was  already  as  dark  as  a  summer  midnight.  Small 
and  continuous  sounds  came  floating  up  from  the 
city  beyond.  Immediately  below  he  heard  the  occa- 
sional voices  of  students  passing  on  the  stone  walk, 
and  from  the  meadows  on  the  west  came  the  melan- 
choly hoot  of  an  owl. 

Accustomed  though  he  had  been  to  lonely  vigils, 

he  was  impressed  by  the  juxtaposition  of  the  minute 

and  the  infinitely  vast,  of  the  transient  and  the 

eternal.   He   stood  looking  for  some  time  at   the 

-+  113  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

track  of  the  Milky  Way,  till  his  gaze  plunged  into 
one  of  those  abysms  of  blackness  where  no  star 
shines,  and  the  ghastliness  of  the  distance  suggested 
flooded  in  upon  him.  This  lost  and  shivering  sensa- 
tion, when  the  world  itself  seems  to  shrink  away  and 
send  the  watcher  spinning  into  the  void,  is  vouch- 
safed to  the  astronomer  only  at  rare  moments,  and 
from  it  an  escape  is  offered  by  exact  and  intricate 
calculations.  Even  figures  that  climb  into  the  mil- 
lions, incomprehensible  as  they  may  be,  offer  some 
consolation  to  microscopic  man ;  but  when  this  con- 
solation is  withdrawn,  as  it  was  withdrawn  from 
Leigh  for  the  moment,  he  stands,  as  it  were,  annihi- 
lated by  immensity. 

Lost  in  this  mood,  the  voice  of  Emmet  came  to 
his  ears  with  a  shock,  a  mere  succession  of  sounds 
with  scarce  a  meaning. 

"  Hello,  professor  !  Are  you  up  here  star-gazing  ? 
I  saw  the  door  open  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and 
followed  my  nose  till  I  found  you,  though  it's  a 
wonder  I  did  n't  break  it,  for  my  matches  gave  out 
two  flights  below." 

The  incongruity  of  this  interruption  was  almost 
as  great  as  a  shout  of  laughter  at  a  funeral,  and 
Leigh  experienced  a  reaction  akin  to  hilarity. 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you,"  he  returned,  "for  I  had 
rather  given  you  up  till  after  the  election." 

"  I  just  dropped  in  for  a  few  minutes'  chat,"  his 
visitor  explained.  "  There 's  something  doing  later. 
-+  114  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

It 's  funny  that  I  have  n't  been  up  to  the  Hall  once 
in  the  last  ten  years,  and  now  I  've  come  twice  in 
a  week.  When  I  was  a  kid,  I  used  to  hang  around 
the  edge  of  the  campus,  over  there  by  the  bishop's 
statue,  and  listen  to  the  band  on  Commencement 
Day.  Sometimes  I  used  to  crawl  in  under  the  fence 
to  baseball  games,  too.  St.  George's  put  up  a  gilt- 
edged  article  of  ball  in  those  days." 

"  I  remember  hearing  that  they  had  a  star  year, 
when  they  beat  everything  in  sight." 

Emmet  remembered  the  year  in  question,  and  the 
very  names  of  the  chief  players,  who  were  enshrined 
in  his  mind  as  only  an  athletic  hero  can  be  enshrined 
in  the  imagination  of  the  normal  boy.  As  he  chatted 
on  about  his  early  impressions  of  the  Hall,  his  lis- 
tener became  aware  that  he  regarded  their  first  inter- 
view as  the  doorway  of  a  friendship  into  which  he 
had  now  entered.  A  knowledge  of  this  fact  smote 
Leigh  with  some  compunction,  for  he  had  been  so 
much  absorbed  in  his  own  ulterior  purpose  as  to 
regard  this  man  in  the  light  of  a  means  toward  its 
accomplishment.  Now  Emmet  stood  before  him 
again,  having  taken  him  at  his  word,  innocent  of 
his  original  position  as  a  pawn  in  another's  game. 
He  was  not  one  who  deserved  to  be  so  regarded,  and 
Leigh  felt  this,  though  a  greater  interest  had  hith- 
erto interfered  with  his  appreciation.  There  was  an 
element  of  discovery  in  this  second  meeting  that 
was  not  unwelcome.  Emmet's  implied  acceptance  of 
-*  115  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

his  friendship  suddenly  added  a  new  interest  to  his 
life,  and  served  to  enrich  for  him  the  city  of  War- 
wick, which  until  now  had  appeared  a  somewhat 
nebulous  place,  where  only  one  spot  glowed  with 
warmth  and  light. 

"Come  into  my  shanty  here,"  he  said  heartily. 
"  I  want  to  show  you  something  I  think  will  inter- 
est you.    Have  you  ever  looked  at  the  stars  ?  " 

"  On  the  street  corner,  at  ten  cents  a  look," 
Emmet  answered. 

"Then  this  will  be  something  of  a  revelation 
to  you.  Miss  Wycliffe  is  going  to  bring  up  a 
party  to-night  to  use  the  telescope,  but  it's  early 
yet." 

The  other  made  no  comment  upon  this  statement, 
and  the  reason  of  his  silence  remained  obscure ; 
whether  it  were  due  to  indifference,  or  to  a  fear  of 
disclosing  a  cherished  emotion.  It  seemed  more 
likely  that  the  latter  was  the  true  explanation,  and 
Leigh  already  knew  his  visitor  well  enough  to  be 
prepared  for  sudden  streaks  of  reticence  or  secre- 
tiveness.  The  fact  that  he  had  discouraged  his  pre- 
vious advances  on  the  subject  of  Miss  Wycliffe  was 
enough  to  explain  this  present  silence,  but  he  felt 
that  Emmet  was  acutely  conscious  of  her  impending 
arrival.  He  could  not  help  wondering  also  whether 
he  would  linger  deliberately  until  she  should  come. 
Speculating  thus,  he  sat  down  in  the  chair  and  trained 
the  telescope  upon  Saturn. 

-+  116  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

"  There,"  he  said,  rising.  "  What  do  you  make 
of  that  ?  " 

"I  see  a  star,"  Emmet  answered  after  a  while, 
"  with  a  ring  of  mist  around  it  —  two  rings." 

"  There  are  four,  at  least,"  said  Leigh ;  "  but  the 
inner  and  intermediate  rings  are  dark.  A  better 
instrument  would  show  a  greenish  hue.  There  are 
eight  satellites  besides.  You  can  imagine  what  sort 
of  moonlit  nights  they  have  in  Saturn,  supposing 
that  any  one  lives  there  to  enjoy  them." 

Emmet  drew  a  deep  breath  of  wonder,  and  it  was 
evident  that  his  unimaginative  mind  was  struggling 
with  new  conceptions.  There  was  a  gleam  of  humour 
in  his  eyes  which  contrasted  oddly  with  the  sug- 
gestion of  awe  in  his  voice,  as  he  looked  up  and 
answered :  "  It  must  be  a  great  place  for  lovers, 
professor.    And  how  far  away  might  it  be  ?  " 

"Let  me  see  —  something  over  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  millions  of  miles  from  the  sun.  Its  dis- 
tance from  us  depends  "  — 

"Never  mind,"  Emmet  put  in.  "A  few  million 
miles  more  or  less  don't  bother  me  any.  It  makes 
things  down  here  seem  rather  small,  does  n't  it  ? 
Politics,  for  example." 

"  It  has  the  effect  of  readjusting  our  perspective 
a  little,"  Leigh  admitted.  "  I  wanted  to  show  you 
that  planet  at  this  time,  because  it  is  now  at  its 
best.  If  you  waited  another  seven  or  eight  years, 
you  would  see  it  only  as  a  ball,  for  the  rings  would 
-+  117  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

then  be  edgewise  to  the  plane  of  your  vision.  Twice 
in  about  "thirty  years  the  rings  seem  to  disappear, 
and  twice  they  fan  out  to  their  largest  extent. 
You  '11  never  see  them  broader  than  now." 

Without  a  word  Emmet  turned  back  to  the  tele- 
scope. 

"  You  can  imagine/'  Leigh  continued,  sure  of 
his  listener's  interest,  "how  that  change  puzzled 
the  earlier  astronomers.  They  thought  that  Saturn 
was  merely  a  central  ball  with  two  handles,  like  the 
handles  of  a  soup  tureen  ;  and  when  Galileo  watched 
them  grow  thinner  and  thinner  and  at  last  disappear, 
he  wondered  whether  Saturn  had  devoured  his  own 
children,  as  he  expressed  it.  It  was  n't  until  fifty 
years  later  that  a  Dutchman  named  Huygens  dis- 
covered the  real  cause  of  the  variation.  You  don't 
mind  a  few  excerpts  from  my  lectures  ?  But  wait  a 
minute ;  let  me  show  you  something  else." 

It  was  long  after  eight  o'clock,  so  imperceptibly 
did  the  time  slip  away,  when  they  emerged  from 
the  cabin,  and  Emmet  prepared  to  go.  Leigh  looked 
at  his  watch,  and  realised  with  a  quickening  of  his 
pulses  that  the  visit  so  eagerly  anticipated  must  be 
imminent,  that  Miss  Wycliffe  might  even  now  be 
coming  up  the  stairs.  What  if  she  had  come,  and, 
failing  to  find  him  below  to  guide  her,  had  gone 
away  offended  ?  At  the  thought,  he  rushed  back 
into  the  cabin  and  lighted  the  lantern  which  he 
used  for  his  transits  up  and  down  the  tower.  When 
-h.  118  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

he  came  out  again,  he  found  that  Emmet,  instead 
of  going,  had  drifted  over  to  the  western  parapet, 
where  he  stood  looking  through  an  embrasure,  as  if 
the  later  engagement  of  which  he  had  spoken  were 
his  last  concern. 

"  My  other  visitors  will  be  coming  soon,"  Leigh 
explained,  "and  I  must  go  to  light  them  up  the 
stairs." 

He  thought  of  the  probable  composition  of  the 
party,  and  reflected  that  it  would  simplify  the  situa- 
tion if  Emmet  should  go  before  their  arrival.  But 
his  visitor  failed  to  accept  his  implied  suggestion. 
Was  he  dazed  by  the  immensities  into  which  he  had 
looked,  or  did  he  form  a  sullen  resolve  to  remain 
and  meet  that  society  against  which  he  had  so  bit- 
terly inveighed  ?  Leigh  knew  that  he  could  count 
on  Miss  Wycliffe's  friendliness  and  upon  her  tact 
in  meeting  a  situation,  but  he  guessed  that,  if  her 
companions  were  of  like  mind  with  the  bishop,  his 
present  guest  might  be  made  to  feel  that  he  was  an 
intruder. 

"  Just  look  at  that  car  over  in  the  valley,"  Emmet 
called,  without  turning.  "  It  crawls  through  the 
darkness  like  an  illuminated  centipede." 

Leigh  was  struck  by  the  comparison,  and  in  spite 
of  his  impatience,  he  went  over  and  glanced  through 
another  depression  in  the  wall.  At  the  moment  of 
turning  away  he  was  arrested  by  the  distant  panting 
of  a  motor-car  far  down  the  boulevard  that  skirted 
-*  119  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  cliff.  Instinctively  he  waited  to  see  it  pass,  as 
one  waits  for  the  passing  of  a  train.  Turning  his 
eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  which  ascended 
with  startling  distinctness  through  the  night  air,  he 
presently  saw  a  gleam  shoot  above  the  hill;  and 
now  the  great  touring-car  came  on  at  breakneck 
pace,  searching  the  dusty  highway  a  hundred  yards 
in  advance  with  a  clean  pencil-shaft  of  light. 

He  was  far  from  suspecting  that  he  was  watch- 
ing the  arrival  of  his  visitors.  It  was  not  among 
his  anticipations  that  Miss  Wycliffe  might  come 
swooping  down  upon  the  college  in  this  fashion, 
and  moreover  the  machine  was  speeding  from  a  di- 
rection directly  opposite  to  that  in  which  she  lived. 
In  fact,  it  was  headed  for  the  city  from  the  open 
country  beyond.  His  astonishment  was  great,  there- 
fore, when  the  car  came  to  a  sudden  stop  at  the 
base  of  the  tower,  and  the  occupants  fairly  tumbled 
out  in  a  gale  of  merriment  and  talk.  In  the  babel 
of  sounds  Miss  Wycliffe' s  voice  detached  itself,  by 
its  peculiar  quality  rather  than  by  its  power,  caus- 
ing his  heart  to  vibrate  as  a  string  trembles  to  the 
touch. 

"Mr.  Cobbens,"  she  cried  gaily,  "I  believe  you 
were  bent  on  breaking  our  necks  !  " 

"  I  'm  for  walking  home,"  came  a  man's  voice. 

There  were  no  students'  rooms  directly  over  them, 
but  to  the  north  and  south  windows  were  flung  open 
and  heads  peered  curiously  forth. 
-+  120  -i- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

"  Hush ! "  said  another  of  the  party.  "  Don't  wake 
up  the  children." 

This  sally  was  greeted  with  another  burst  of 
mirth,  and  then  the  star-gazers  filed  through  a  small 
postern  door  in  the  walled-up  arch  that  was  one  day 
to  be  opened  wide  for  the  passage  of  a  road.  Leigh 
took  up  his  lantern,  only  to  find  that  in  his  haste 
he  had  unwittingly  turned  out  the  flame.  A  puff 
of  wind  extinguished  his  match,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  reenter  the  cabin  for  shelter  from  the  draught. 
Owing  to  this  delay,  he  had  scarcely  begun  to  de- 
scend before  he  heard  the  voices  of  his  guests  grow- 
ing louder  in  their  progress  from  below. 

About  midway  he  saw  them  coming  across  the 
platform  immediately  below  him,  the  bishop's 
daughter  in  the  lead  with  a  tall  wax  candle  in  her 
hand.  As  she  ascended  the  stairs,  the  light  of  the 
candle  gave  her  uplifted  face  the  effect  of  a  delicate 
cameo  set  in  a  frame  of  radiating  gold.  Her  lips 
were  parted,  her  breath  came  fast,  and  her  eyes  were 
wondrous  in  their  dark  brilliancy.  Rarely  beautiful 
as  the  picture  was,  Leigh  received  no  impression  of 
a  u  missioned  spirit  rising  unawares,"  for  as  her  wrap 
slipped  down  from  her  shoulders,  she  suggested 
rather  that  goddess  who  floated  into  the  light  one 
April  day  on  the  crest  of  a  wave.  Apparently  she 
was  in  a  most  gracious  mood,  and  not  inclined  to 
hold  him  to  account.  She  did  not  wait  to  learn  the 
reason  of  his  detention  above. 
-h  121  *~ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"Don't  apologise,  please,"  she  panted," "for  we 
got  along  capitally.  Dr.  Cardington  gave  me  this 
candle,  but  declined  to  come  with  us.  I  thought  he 
quite  resented  our  intrusion,  and  was  anxious  to 
pass  us  up  without  delay."  Then,  turning  to  her 
companions  with  whimsical  imperiousness,  "  Stand 
in  a  row,  the  whole  class,  till  I  introduce  you  to 
your  new  instructor." 

The  dimness  of  the  light  and  Leigh's  perturba- 
tion of  mind  at  the  thought  of  Emmet  made  his  im- 
pression of  the  personnel  of  the  party  so  vague  that 
he  might  have  passed  most  of  them  the  following 
day  without  recognition.  They  had  evidently  dined 
well,  and  were  finishing  a  gay  evening  with  a  flying 
visit  to  the  college  observatory.  Only  the  personal- 
ity of  Cobbens  was  salient  in  the  group,  and  would 
have  been  so  even  if  Leigh's  curiosity  concerning 
the  man  had  not  been  previously  aroused. 

u  We  're  too  frivolous  for  Cardington,"  he  said, 
taking  off  his  cap  and  mopping  his  brow.  "I'm 
glad  to  meet  you,  sir.  This  is  a  spooky  place,  the 
ideal  place  for  a  man  to  hang  himself  in.  I  spent 
four  years  in  the  Hall  and  never  came  up  here  be- 
fore. I  knew  and  loved  your  predecessor,  as  all 
the  fellows  did.  The  old  gentleman  may  not  have 
been  well  up  in  astronomy,  —  I  don't  know  anything 
about  that,  —  but  he  was  well  up  in  the  psychology 
of  boys.  He  left  a  big  place  behind  him,  which 
we  're  not  likely  to  see  filled  in  a  hurry." 
-+  122  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

During  this  address  he  continued  to  shake  Leigh's 
hand  with  an  apparent  cordiality  that  contrasted 
strongly  with  his  final  innuendo,  but  now  their  hands 
fell  apart  with  mutual  repulsion.  Leigh  had  been 
prejudiced  against  the  lawyer  beforehand,  and  his 
first  remarks  at  their  introduction  contained  a  grisly 
jest  and  an  implied  slight.  But  these  things  only 
paved  the  way  to  the  final  cause  of  distrust  —  the 
fashion  of  the  man  himself.  He  was  unprepossessing 
in  every  line.  His  thin,  pale  face  widened  rapidly, 
like  a  top,  to  a  broad  and  shining  pate,  which  looked 
not  so  much  bald  as  half  naked  below  its  sparse 
covering  of  reddish  hair.  His  eyes  were  glimmering 
and  of  an  indeterminate  colour.  Yet  his  voice  was 
not  unattractive  in  its  persuasive  intonation,  and 
his  manner  was  friendly  almost  to  the  verge  of  effu- 
siveness. Whatever  might  be  his  demerits  from  a 
physical  point  of  view,  he  lacked  the  general  air  of 
inconsequence  that  characterised  most  of  his  com- 
panions. He  conveyed  unmistakably  the  assurance 
of  a  certain  malign  power.  One  felt  that  his  normal 
method  of  locomotion  was  the  mole's,  but  that  sooner 
or  later  he  would  thrust  his  head  above  the  soil  at 
the  top  of  the  hill. 

As  they  emerged  upon  the  roof,  they  came  face 
to  face  with  Emmet. 

"  Hello ! "  Cobbens  cried,  as  the  two  men  shook 
hands.  "  Are  you  taking  a  course  in  astronomy 
too?" 

-f  123  *■ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"Yes/'  replied  the  other,  "and  I'm  just  about 
going.'' 

Their  mutual  cordiality  of  manner,  somewhat  in 
excess  of  the  requirements  of  conventional  courtesy, 
struck  Leigh  with  a  sense  of  the  ridiculous.  He  had 
not  anticipated  a  scene,  but  he  had  looked  for  some 
coldness  and  restraint.  The  other  visitors,  with  a 
curious  glance  in  passing,  spread  out  over  the  roof 
or  entered  the  cabin,  but  the  bishop's  daughter 
remained  behind.  She  shifted  the  candle  to  her 
left  hand,  and  offered  her  right  to  her  protege  with 
charming  courtesy. 

"  Has  Mr.  Leigh  been  casting  your  horoscope  ?  " 
she  asked,  smiling.  "  I  hope  he  found  your  star  in 
the  ascendant." 

Leigh  did  not  wonder  that  Emmet  appeared  daz- 
zled, or  that  his  bold  eyes  were  a  shade  less  bold  in 
their  embarrassed  admiration. 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Wycliffe  —  I  think  we  shall 
win." 

"I  hope  so,"  she  returned,  with  a  momentary  side- 
long look  at  Cobbens.  The  lawyer's  eyes  were  upon 
her,  and  as  Leigh  caught  their  hungry  glimmer,  he 
remembered  with  a  sharp  contraction  of  the  heart 
that  he  was  a  widower,  and  that  sometimes  the  most 
hideous  men  possess  a  compelling  fascination  for 
women  of  great  beauty. 

"  Oh,  astrology  is  out  of  date,"  Cobbens  broke  in, 
with  an  easy  chuckle.    "  Isn't  it,  professor?  " 
-H-  124  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

"Yes/'  Leigh  retorted,  "but  I  believe  politics  is 
not." 

The  laughter  with  which  this  remark  was  greeted 
indicated  the  real  tension  that  underlay  all  this 
appearance  of  good  feeling. 

"  Politics  is  never  out  of  date,"  Emmet  declared, 
with  grim  emphasis,  "as  we  mean  to  show  you 
soon." 

"  Politics  is  like  poker,"  Cobbens  commented  sen- 
tentiously.  "  Just  now  we  're  raising  the  ante,  but 
presently  there  '11  be  a  show  down,  and  may  the  best 
hand  win." 

"  We  ask  nothing  better,"  Emmet  assured  him, 
moving  toward  the  stairs.  "  Good-night.  I  must  be 
off." 

"  Wait  a  moment !  "  Miss  Wy cliff e  called  after 
him.  "  Here  —  take  this  candle  to  light  your  way, 
and  may  good  luck  go  with  it." 

Emmet  had  already  begun  to  descend  the  stairs 
when  her  voice  arrested  him.  He  turned  as  she 
approached,  and  because  of  his  lower  position  her 
form  hid  him  entirely  from  the  view  of  the  two  men 
she  had  just  left.  Leigh  saw  the  fur  edge  of  her 
wrap  standing  out  like  a  mist  against  the  flaring 
light  of  the  candle  as  she  stooped  to  hand  it  down, 
and  he  thought  she  lingered  longer  than  was  abso- 
lutely necessary,  as  if  to  speak  some  parting  words 
of  encouragement.  The  impression  that  further 
words  had  passed  between  them  was  so  disquieting, 
-+  125  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

in  view  of  his  suspicion  of  Emmet's  audacity,  that 
he  was  fain  to  believe  himself  mistaken.  It  seemed 
that  Cobbens  also  had  lost  nothing  of  this  incident, 
for  when  she  returned,  he  regarded  her  with  as 
much  disapproval  as  he  dared  to  show. 

"  You  '11  turn  the  poor  beggar's  head,  Miss 
Wycliffe,"  he  said.  "It's  a  mistaken  kindness.  His 
fall  will  be  all  the  greater  for  your  whim." 

"  Sometimes  beggars  get  on  horseback,"  she  re- 
torted coolly,  "  and  then  they  keep  on  riding." 

Leigh's  knowledge  of  the  lawyer's  career  enabled 
him  to  appreciate  the  sharpness  of  this  remark,  but 
Cobbens  was  more  adroit  than  he  could  have  thought 
possible  in  the  face  of  such  a  taunt. 

"  Well,  when  that  poor  beggar  tries  to  mount  the 
political  horse,  he  '11  get  thrown  so  hard  that  he  '11 
never  try  it  again." 

Miss  Wycliffe  vouchsafed  no  reply,  but  turned 
toward  the  cabin,  and  they  followed  her  in  silence. 
During  the  subsequent  session  about  the  telescope, 
Leigh  was  not  surprised  to  find  that  she  domineered 
over  her  friends,  or  that  they  accepted  her  tyranny 
without  question.  In  her  self-appointed  office  of  the 
instructor's  assistant,  she  gave  this  one  or  that  the 
chair,  until  the  young  astronomer  thought  it  high 
time  to  protest. 

"  I  insist  upon  your  taking  a  look  yourself,"  he 
said.  "I  have  something  of  peculiar  interest  re- 
served for  you."  And  he  trained  the  instrument 
-+  126  i- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

upon  Castor,  in  the  constellation  of  the  Twins.  She 
took  the  chair  and  looked  for  a  tantalising  length 
of  time  in  silence,  while  with  one  hand  she  waved 
off  the  questions  and  impatience  of  the  others.  He 
bent  over  her,  almost  oblivious  of  their  presence. 
"  It 's  a  double  star,  you  see.  What  do  you  think 
of  it?" 

"  Beautiful !  "  she  answered.  "I  wondered  why 
I  was  seeing  double.    Tell  us  about  it." 

"  They  are  two  suns  in  one  sphere,  swinging  on 
through  space  side  by  side.  Two  centuries  of  cal- 
culations have  brought  out  the  fact  that  it  takes 
forty-four  years  for  the  light  of  Castor  to  reach 
us,  and  that  a  thousand  years  are  consumed  in  one 
circuit  of  its  orbit." 

"  I  must  admit,"  she  said,  looking  up  at  him  with 
a  mysterious  splendour  in  her  eyes,  in  which  there 
yet  lurked  a  suspicion  of  humour,  "  that  a  thousand 
years  gives  me  a  shiver." 

Up  to  this  time  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  room 
had  by  no  means  attained  the  level  reached  by 
Leigh  and  Emmet  alone,  not  only  because  of  the 
restless  presence  of  Cobbens,  which  refused  to  har- 
monise with  the  idea  of  sublimity,  but  also  because, 
in  any  such  gathering,  the  tendency  is  downward 
toward  the  plane  of  the  most  frivolous  and  common- 
place person  present.  The  jest  about  the  class,  in- 
termittently revived,  had  reduced  the  stars  to  pretty 
baubles  or,  at  most,  to  the  fairy  lamps  of  fanciful 
h.  127  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

verse,  in  spite  of  figures  of  distance  that  grew  more 
and  more  stupendous.  But  now  a  sudden  hush  fell 
upon  them  ;  it  might  have  been  a  tardy  appreciation, 
or  the  mere  emotional  reaction  from  little  talk.  For 
the  moment  Leigh  forgot  that  they  were  not  alone, 
and  almost  unconsciously  he  spoke  the  thought  that 
had  flashed  from  her  eyes  to  his :  "  A  thousand 
years  in  thy  sight  are  but  as  yesterday,  seeing  that 
it  is  past  as  a  watch  in  the  night." 

The  situation  had  grown  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly dramatic.  It  was  as  if  a  troupe  of  revellers 
had  torn  aside  a  curtain  in  their  mad  rush,  and  had 
come  face  to  face  with  the  silence  and  blackness  of 
an  abyss.  Miss  Wycliffe  rose  from  the  chair  as  if 
starting  back  from  such  a  vision,  and  though  her 
tone,  when  she  spoke,  was  light,  it  was  apparently 
so  by  design. 

"  If  you  insist  upon  quoting  from  the  Burial 
Service,  Mr.  Leigh,  I  shall  take  it  as  a  hint  to  go 
home  at  once." 

"  And  it 's  time  we  did,"  Cobbens  put  in.  "  We  're 
much  obliged  to  you,  sir.  We  've  had  a  charming 
time,  and  owe  you  a  vote  of  thanks." 

When  Leigh  had  lighted  them  downstairs,  he 
ascended  once  more  to  his  cabin,  tortured  by  an 
acute  self-consciousness.  The  evening  had  been  far 
from  satisfactory ;  never  had  the  difference  between 
anticipation  and  realisation  been  more  impressively 
illustrated.  In  his  afternoon  dreams  he  had  not 
-h  128  +- 


THE    STAR-GAZERS 

considered  Miss  Wycliffe's  companions,  except  as 
shadows,  and  it  was  they  who  had  disturbed  what 
would  otherwise  have  been  a  charmed  atmosphere. 
His  quotation  would  have  been  natural  had  he  been 
alone  with  the  woman  he  loved,  but  in  that  company 
it  seemed  inept  and  melodramatic,  deserving  the  re- 
buke she  so  easily  administered.  In  his  humiliation 
he  thought  that  he  must  have  appeared  extremely 
youthful  in  her  eyes,  one  who  could  not  conceal  his 
emotions  before  the  gaze  of  the  curious  and  shallow. 
Could  he  have  overheard  the  conversation  which 
took  place  between  Cobbens  and  Miss  Wycliffe  on 
their  way  home,  his  distress  would  have  been  in  no 
way  lightened. 

The  lawyer  allowed  the  machine  to  run  more 
slowly,  that  its  jar  and  noise  might  not  drown  his 
voice. 

"  Your  friend  with  the  comet-coloured  hair,"  he 
began,  "  will  never  fit  into  the  life  of  St.  George's 
Hall.  I  can  see  he  has  n't  the  true  Hall  traditions 
or  spirit." 

She  was  apparently  more  interested  in  his  views 
than  inclined  to  express  her  own.  If  she  reflected 
at  all  upon  the  speaker's  lack  of  that  physical  dis- 
tinction which  he  selected  in  Leigh  for  the  exercise 
of  his  wit,  and  if  she  derived  some  enjoyment  from 
an  understanding  of  his  resentment,  she  kept  it  to 
herself. 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  "  she  asked  serenely. 
-«•  129  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  What  was  he  doing  with  that  Tom  Emmet  up 
there  ?  n  he  demanded,  by  way  of  answer.  "  In  my 
day,  the  professors  of  the  Hall  were  more  select  in 
the  company  they  kept." 

"  Times  have  changed  since  then/'  she  commented, 
"  and  the  world  has  grown  democratic." 

He  suspected  her  mood  of  mockery,  but  his  in- 
telligence could  not  hold  his  spleen  in  check. 

"  Yes,"  he  went  on  malevolently,  "  I  suppose  it 
has ;  and  soon  we  shall  have  a  lot  of  muckers  in  the 
college  instead  of  the  gentlemen  that  used  to  go  there 
in  my  day.  So  that 's  the  prize  poor  old  Renshaw 
drew  from  the  Western  grab-bag  !  It  's  too  bad  your 
father  was  away." 

"  Is  n't  it  ?  "  she  assented.  "  But  then,  you  know, 
he  is  here  on  a  year's  appointment,  and  perhaps  he 
will  leave  in  the  spring." 

"  I  can't  understand,"  he  resumed,  "  how  he  came 
to  know  Tom  Emmet,  of  all  men,  in  this  short  time, 
and  how  he  happened  to  have  him  up  there  on  the 
tower." 

As  she  seemed  unable  to  throw  any  light  upon 
this  mystery,  he  was  left  to  grapple  with  it  alone. 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 


CHAPTER  VIII 

"WHAT   MAKES    HER   IN   THE   WOOD    SO   LATE?" 

J_HE  City  Hall  in  Warwick  ^as  a  three-storied 
brick  building  of  dignified  Colonial  style,  built  during 
Washington's  first  administration.  The  foundations 
had  settled  somewhat,  as  more  than  one  crack,  zig- 
zagging upward  from  window  to  window,  bore  wit- 
ness ;  and  many  an  iron  clamp  had  stained  the  walls, 
suggesting  to  the  sentimental  mind  that  the  old 
building  was  weeping  rusty  tears  over  the  degeneracy 
of  the  times.  However,  the  Hall  was  only  in  the 
first  stages  of  an  old  age  that  might  be  described  as 
green,  for  the  huge  beams  were  sound  to  the  core, 
and  the  figure  of  a  Roman  lady  still  stood  firmly 
upon  the  cupola,  extending  with  one  chubby  arm 
the  impartial  scales  of  Justice. 

About  a  block  to  the  south,  and  across  the  street, 
surrounded  by  rows  of  crumbling  gravestones  carved 
with  quaint  epitaphs  and  heads  of  ghastly  cherubs, 
stood  the  First  Church.  Any  stranger,  carried  hither 
in  a  magic  trunk  and  asked  to  name  that  corner  of 
the  world  in  which  he  found  himself,  would  have 
glanced  but  once  at  the  four  white  pillars  of  the 
First  Church  and  once  at  the  venerable  City  Hall, 
-»•  131  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

before  answering  that  he  was  in  the  heart  of  New 
England.  No  one  could  fail  to  identify  the  archi- 
tecture of  these  two  characteristic  edifices,  or  of  the 
shops  whose  roofs  slanted  toward  the  street ;  no  one 
could  mistake  the  speech  and  countenance  of  many 
a  passer-by.  Evidences  of  modernity,  buildings  that 
might  have  been  anywhere  else,  were  not  lacking; 
but  these  huge  piles  of  iron  and  stone  served  only 
to  bring  into  sharper  contrast  the  remnants  of  an 
earlier  civilisation. 

As  one  looked  up  and  down  the  curving  street, 
the  thing  that  immediately  attracted  his  attention 
was  a  succession  of  church  steeples  or  cupolas  that 
broke  the  roof-lines  at  almost  regular  intervals,  and 
the  fashion  of  these  structures  left  no  doubt  in  the 
mind  that  Warwick,  in  spite  of  foreign  immigration, 
was  still  a  stronghold  of  Puritanism.  All  suggestion 
of  Romish  or  Episcopalian  tradition  was  scrupu- 
lously avoided,  even  to  the  omission  of  the  cross 
and  the  substitution  of  a  weather-vane  or  gamecock. 
Only  one  church  told  a  different  story.  At  some 
distance  north  of  the  City  Hall  a  gothic  edifice  in 
brown  stone,  with  a  beautiful  square  tower  of  elab- 
orate design,  gave  a  touch  of  colour  and  richness 
to  a  vista  otherwise  somewhat  cold  and  bare.  This 
was  St.  George's  Church,  whose  vestry,  in  the  days 
when  it  required  some  degree  of  heroism  to  be  an 
Episcopalian  in  that  uncongenial  atmosphere,  had 
founded   St.    George's   Hall.    The   present  edifice, 

-H    132    -H- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

though  numbering  seventy-five  years  of  life,  was 
young  compared  with  the  First  Church ;  and  the 
lapse  of  time  had  not  served  to  alter  their  respective 
positions  in  the  community.  In  Warwick  the  Epis- 
copalians were  still  a  small  minority  ;  they  were  still 
the  dissenters  of  this  dissenting  commonwealth. 

Around  the  City  Hall,  which  a  pious  care  had 
preserved  in  spite  of  its  present  inadequacy,  circled 
an  almost  unbroken  procession  of  trolley-cars;  for 
this  point  was  the  very  centre  of  the  web  of  tracks 
whose  various  termini  were  pegged  out  here  and 
there  in  the  neighbouring  towns.  It  might  be  added 
that  this  spot  was  enshrined  in  the  heart  of  every 
loyal  citizen  of  Warwick  as  the  true  umbilicus  of 
the  visible  universe. 

In  the  eyes  of  Llewellyn  Leigh,  however,  the  place 
had  no  such  mystic  significance.  On  the  afternoon 
following  the  visit  of  Miss  Wycliffe  to  the  tower, 
he  had  walked  hither  from  the  college,  down  the 
long,  winding  street  on  whose  well-worn  pavements 
the  yellowing  leaves  of  the  elms  threw  a  sheen  like 
gold.  He  had  noted  many  a  colonial  house  built 
close  to  the  sidewalk  in  the  original  New  England 
fashion ;  he  had  seen  glimpses  of  deep  back  gar- 
dens ;  but  his  appreciative  attitude  of  the  previous 
afternoon  was  gone,  giving  way  to  mild  melancholy, 
such  a  mood  as  is  sometimes  induced  by  the 
perusal  of  an  old  romance  dear  to  the  youth  of 
one's  grandparents.  The  experience  of  the  previous 
-+  133  •>- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

night  had  some  hand  in  this  disillusion.  Some  of 
the  dissatisfaction  with  which  it  had  left  him  still 
hung  about  his  spirit,  and  drove  him  on  in  a  vague 
search  for  diversion.  He  stood  in  front  of  the  City 
Hall  and  watched  the  open  cars  go  by,  then  took 
one,  almost  at  random,  that  bore  the  label  of  Ever- 
green Park.  As  soon  as  he  had  swung  himself  aboard, 
he  found  that  he  was  sitting  beside  Emmet,  and 
the  meeting  was  not  altogether  welcome  in  his  pre- 
sent self-absorption.  Emmet  also  seemed  somewhat 
subdued  as  he  asked  him  his  destination,  but  he 
suspected  that  this  impression  might  be  merely  a 
reflection  of  himself. 

"  I  'm  going  wherever  this  car  goes,"  he  answered. 
"  Evergreen  Park,  is  n't  it  ?  I  'm  gradually  exploring 
the  surrounding  country,  and  one  direction  will  do 
as  well  as  another.    But  where  are  you  bound  for?  " 

"  Politics,"  Emmet  said  briefly.  Whether  he  had 
left  the  tower  the  previous  evening  with  a  sore 
heart  and  was  inclined  to  identify  his  new  friend 
with  his  old  enemy,  or  whether  he  was  merely  occu- 
pied with  his  own  thoughts,  Leigh  now  felt  that  his 
manner  really  exhibited  some  constraint.  He  was  a 
man  of  keen  intuitions,  and  divined  a  sensitiveness 
on  his  companion's  part  in  regard  to  the  rather  in- 
glorious figure  he  had  cut,  in  spite  of  Miss  Wycliffe's 
openly  expressed  interest.  After  all,  might  not  this 
interest  of  hers  savour  of  ostentatious  patronage  ? 
At  this  thought  he  experienced  a  kind  of  fellow- 
-+  134  h- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

feeling  for  the  candidate,  a  change  of  emotion 
which  his  manner  was  quick  to  register.  His  inter- 
est in  politics  was  the  academic  interest  of  the  typi- 
cal Mugwump  he  had  confessed  himself  to  be,  and 
too  much  confined  to  an  occasional  vote  of  protest. 
He  had  never  attended  a  primary  meeting  in  his 
life,  always  having  been  too  busy  with  his  own  career 
to  realise  this  duty,  and  too  nomadic  in  his  habits 
to  acquire  a  personal  interest  in  local  affairs.  To 
him  politics  was  the  pastime  of  the  rich,  who  could 
afford  it,  or  the  business  of  the  poor,  who  used  it 
as  a  means  of  support.  The  very  word,  as  Emmet 
used  it,  conveyed  an  impression  to  his  mind  like 
that  which  Borrow  received  when  his  gipsy  friends 
mentioned  the  mysterious  "  business  of  Egypt."  He 
made  a  comment  that  drew  his  companion  on  to 
speak  of  Cobbens  with  his  former  bitterness,  though 
in  a  smothered  tone,  as  if  he  feared  some  chance 
listener  in  the  car  that  was  now  filling  rapidly. 

"But  you'll  find  nothing  doing  in  the  park," 
Emmet  said  presently,  with  an  abrupt  change  of 
subject.  "  The  season  has  just  closed,  and  there 
is  n't  a  person  on  the  place." 

"So  much  the  better,"  Leigh  answered.  "I'm 
not  in  the  mood  for  merry-go-rounds  and  picnickers." 

The  seat  became  crowded  to  the  point  of  discom- 
fort, and  Emmet,  with  a  significant  look,  went  back 
to  join  the  conductor  on  the  platform.  Leigh  inter- 
preted the  look  to  mean  that  some  of  the  political 
-+  135  -»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

business  on  which  he  was  bent  lay  with  this  man, 
and  their  earnest  conversation  confirmed  his  impres- 
sion. Left  alone,  he  took  Emmet's  place  at  the  end 
of  the  seat  and  began  to  watch  the  passing  scene. 
The  car  swung  down  a  steep  street  and  crossed  a 
long  bridge  over  the  river,  from  which  he  had  a 
view  of  a  wide  blue  basin,  where  a  score  of  little 
yachts  lay  motionless  as  floating  gulls.  In  the  other 
direction  several  sand-bars  showed  brown,  ribbed 
backs,  sparsely  covered  with  coarse  grass,  and  Leigh 
wished  that  he  could  find  himself  dropped  upon  one 
of  them,  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of  wading 
ashore.  The  fancy  put  him  in  a  better  frame  of 
mind,  and  the  afternoon  began  to  brighten.  In 
front  of  him  the  open  country  beckoned,  and  before 
committing  himself  to  it,  he  turned  for  a  farewell 
look  at  Warwick.  The  city  stood  upon  the  high 
river  wall,  roof  above  roof  shimmering  in  the  hazy 
light,  every  line  of  chimney,  spire,  and  tower  soft- 
ened by  the  distance,  like  a  blurred  etching  against 
a  pale  blue  background. 

The  country  was  similar  to  that  through  which  he 
had  passed  the  day  before,  only  now  the  quality  of 
the  air  was  a  little  more  drowsy,  the  quietude  more 
absolute,  and  he  awoke  to  the  fact  that  the  Indian 
Summer  had  begun.  The  car  had  gone  about  four 
miles  before  Emmet  returned,. and  so  absorbed  had 
Leigh  become  that  his  reappearance  was  a  surprise. 
They  were  now  at  the  top  of  a  long  hill,  from  the 
-i-  136  +- 


IN    THE    WOOD-  SO    LATE 

summit  of  which  the  country  fell  away  till  it  rose 
again  far  off  in  dark  purple  ridges  of  low  mountains. 

"  I  am  reminded  of  California  by  that  sky-line/ ' 
Leigh  remarked.  "  Only  out  there  you  see  no 
patches  of  gorgeous  foliage  like  those  yonder.  The 
autumn  comes  on  by  imperceptible  gradations.  The 
first  thing  you  know,  the  leaves  have  shrivelled  and 
gone." 

"  The  park  lies  down  there  in  the  valley,"  Emmet 
said,  on  whom  the  comparison  had  evidently  made 
no  impression.  "  There 's  nothing  to  see,  though, 
at  this  time  of  year.  Why  don't  you  go  on  to  Pit- 
kinton  and  visit  the  silk  mills  ?  " 

"  Because  I  'm  determined  to  explore  the  park," 
Leigh  answered.  He  was  not  one  to  be  swerved 
from  his  purpose  by  another's  persistence ;  in  fact, 
any  effort  in  such  a  direction  usually  had  an  oppo- 
site effect.  "  I  have  no  desire  to  see  a  lot  of  men 
working  over  machinery  to-day  who  ought  to  be  out 
enjoying  the  Indian  Summer,"  he  explained.  "  I  '11 
reserve  the  mills  for  some  other  time." 

The  car  came  to  a  stop  at  a  switch  before  a  rustic 
gate,  and  they  got  off  together.  It  occurred  to 
Leigh  that  possibly  he  had  been  a  little  short  with 
Emmet,  somewhat  unsympathetic  with  his  practical 
and  industrial  interests.  If  this  were  so,  it  was 
merely  because  he  realised  the  uselessness  of  explain- 
ing the  peculiar  intoxication  of  his  mood,  for  he 
suspected  that  the  other  would  regard  such  emo- 
-+  137  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

tions  as  fit  only  for  women  and  poets.  "  You  might 
come  for  a  walk  with  me,"  he  suggested.  "  The 
exercise  would  do  you  good." 

Emmet  hesitated,  as  if  he  considered  the  propo- 
sition seriously,  looking  down  the  track  at  the  ap- 
proaching car  for  which  their  own  was  waiting. 
"  No,"  he  said  slowly.  "  I  must  be  getting  back  to 
town,  and  there 's  one  of  the  boys  on  this  car  that 
I  want  to  see." 

"Some  other  time,  then,"  said  Leigh.  "There 
are  n't  any  bandits  in  these  woods,  are  there  ?  " 

"  You  'd  better  keep  your  gun  handy,"  Emmet 
answered.    "  Well,  take  care  of  yourself." 

Leigh  had  by  this  time  reached  the  wicket  gate, 
where  he  turned  a  moment  to  catch  Emmet's  friendly 
wave  of  the  hand.  A  few  steps  more,  and  the  woods 
enclosed  him  like  a  wall.  He  heard  the  diminishing 
buzz  of  the  returning  car  with  a  sense  of  relief  and 
escape,  for  he  was  pleased  that  his  invitation  had  not 
been  accepted.  In  his  mind  lingered  a  feeling  that 
he  and  Emmet  had  not  been  able  to  meet  this  after- 
noon quite  as  before,  but  the  feeling  vanished  with 
the  disappearance  of  the  car,  leaving  him  merely 
glad  of  the  solitude.  Soon  he  came  to  a  spring,  a 
placid  basin  of  water  canopied  by  an  artificial  grotto 
of  rock,  and  kneeling  down  he  gazed  intently  at  his 
own  reflection.  But  no  thought  of  Narcissus,  or  of 
Horace's  fountain  of  Bandusia,  intervened  to  sub- 
stitute literary  memories  for  the  reality  of  sensation ; 
-+  138  +- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

he  was  too  genuine  a  lover  of  nature  to  interpret  it 
in  the  terms  of  letters. 

Down  at  the  bottom  of  the  pool  the  water  welled 
up  in  slow  puffs,  as  if  the  ground  were  panting, 
stirring  dead  sticks  and  withered  leaves,  and  pre- 
sently, in  the  spokes  of  light  that  radiated  from  the 
reflection  of  his  head,  he  descried  a  frog  resting 
motionless  below  him.  He  disturbed  the  water,  so 
transparent  that  he  could  not  tell  when  his  fingers 
would  enter  it,  and  the  frog  was  gone  like  a  grey 
streak,  leaving  little  swirls  like  dust  where  its  feet 
had  touched  the  bottom  in  its  flight.  The  only 
thought  that  floated  through  his  mind  as  he  knelt 
there  was  one  concerning  the  infinitely  small  in  na- 
ture. The  place,  he  knew,  was  swarming  with  unseen 
life,  creatures  compared  with  which  the  frog  was 
a  devouring  monster  of  colossal  proportions;  and 
he  reflected  that  the  immeasurable  spaces  of  the  sky 
were  not  more  wonderful  than  they. 

Having  taken  a  deep  drink,  he  continued  on  his 
way,  noting  that  here  beneath  the  trees  the  after- 
noon seemed  several  hours  advanced  beyond  the 
time  of  the  sunny  open,  for  the  shadows  were  like 
twilight.  Below  the  path,  crossed  and  recrossed  by 
rustic  bridges,  ran  a  small  rivulet.  The  gurgling  of 
its  miniature  falls,  like  the  sound  of  water  coming 
from  the  neck  of  a  jug,  the  occasional  cawing  of  a 
crow,  and  the  snapping  of  twigs  beneath  his  feet 
were  the  only  interruptions  to  the  silence.  Here 
-+  139  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

was  a  sudden  hushed  restf  ulness,  as  grateful  as  the 
draught  of  water  he  had  drunk  at  the  spring. 

The  rivulet  ended  in  a  broader  stream,  on  whose 
bank  he  found  a  long,  low  boat-house  already  locked 
and  abandoned.  A  wooden  bridge  ran  across  to  the 
opposite  shore,  where  a  large  dancing-pa vilion  stood, 
waiting  for  the  snow  to  follow  the  drifting  leaves 
through  the  open  windows.  A  path  which  skirted 
this  larger  stream  to  the  left  promised  more  seclu- 
sion than  the  way  across  the  bridge  and  decided  his 
choice.  On  the  bosom  of  the  water  were  scattered 
the  wrecks  of  what  had  recently  been  a  beautiful  bed 
of  Egyptian  lotos.  Here,  where  all  had  been  glisten- 
ing greenness  with  splashes  of  yellow  blossoms,  at- 
tenuated stalks  lifted  what  looked  like  crumpled  frag- 
ments of  brown  paper,  which  quivered  in  a  breeze 
too  light  to  move  the  surface  of  the  stream.  Here 
alone  the  fingers  of  the  frost  had  left  a  blight,  like 
that  of  flames,  and  had  denied  to  their  destructive 
work  the  glamour  of  a  funeral  pall,  dealing  death 
without  pomp  or  circumstance. 

The  trees  crept  down  and  almost  thrust  him  at 
times  into  the  water  which  lay  at  his  feet,  black  from 
the  vegetation  in  its  bed  and  reflecting  on  its  brim- 
ming surface  bright  patches  of  colour  from  the  foli- 
age on  the  opposite  shore.  Here  and  there  a  stricken 
tree  was  duplicated  by  a  long  white  image  that 
seemed  to  point  like  a  finger  to  the  depths  below. 
Apparently  there  was  no  current,  and  this  lack  of 
-+  140  -«- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

motion,  combined  with  the  blackness  of  the  water 
and  the  sombreness  of  the  woods,  produced  an  ef- 
fect in  striking  contrast  with  the  blue  and  sunny 
river  he  had  first  crossed,  its  floating  boats  and  scat- 
tered sand-bars. 

At  length  the  trail  took  a  sudden  turn  into  the 
woods.  The  oaks  and  elms  gave  way  to  a  grove 
of  pines,  and  the  tangled  jungle  of  undergrowth 
was  replaced  by  a  slippery  carpet  of  brown  needles. 
The  path  climbed  upward  until  it  ended  in  a  com- 
paratively open  space,  and  there,  under  the  branches 
of  a  pine,  her  white  hands  clasped  upon  her  knees, 
he  saw  a  woman  sitting  alone.  If  a  hamadryad  had 
suddenly  thrust  her  head  around  the  bole  of  a  tree 
and  looked  him  full  in  the  face,  he  would  not  have 
been  more  astonished,  so  absolute  was  his  sense  of 
utter  loneliness ;  but  when  he  saw  that  the  figure 
was  that  of  Miss  Wy cliff e,  he  stood  like  one  trans- 
fixed and  deprived  of  the  power  of  speech.  This 
was  like  a  wild  freak  of  his  fancy,  and  he  could 
scarcely  believe  the  vision  real.  The  surprise  ap- 
peared to  be  entirely  on  his  side,  for  she  smiled  as 
if  the  meeting  were  a  matter  of  course,  or  one  of 
appointment.  Undoubtedly  she  had  been  listening 
to  his  approach  for  some  time,  an'd  had  seen  him 
first. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Leigh,"  she  called,  "  I  hope  I  did  n't 
frighten  you.  You  started  as  if  you  had  seen  a 
ghost." 

-i-  141  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

He  came  forward,  laughing.  "  So  you  are  one  of 
the  bandits  Emmet  told  me  of  !  He  said  the  woods 
were  full  of  them." 

"  Emmet,"  she  repeated.  "  Did  you  come  out  with 
him  ?    I  did  n't  know  he  was  on  this  line." 

"  He  is  n't  on  any  line  at  present.  He  has  thrown 
up  his  job  entirely  for  politics.  That  seemed  to  be 
what  he  came  out  for.  I  left  him  on  the  platform 
waiting  for  the  down  car,  which  he  said  was  run  by 
'one  of  the  boys'  whom  he  wanted  to  see."  After 
a  slight  hesitation  he  added :  "  I  tried  to  persuade 
him  to  come  with  me,  but  I  'm  glad  now  he  did  n't." 

The  frank  friendliness  of  her  gaze  betrayed  no 
acceptance  of  his  meaning.  "And  how  did  our 
experiment  come  out  ? "  she  asked.  "  I  inferred 
from  his  presence  with  you  last  night  that  you 
had  struck  up  some  sort  of  a  friendship.  I  thought 
you  would."  She  motioned  him  to  be  seated  with 
her  characteristic  suggestion  of  imperiousness.  "  Sit 
down,  do,  and  tell  me  all  about  it.  You  've  come 
just  in  time  for  my  little  picnic,  though  I  'm  afraid 
the  friend  I  expected  has  failed  me.  You  '11  get 
nothing  to  eat,  however,  but  this  basket  of  Concord 
grapes  which  I  picked  up  on  the  way."  And  she 
thrust  it  forward  with  a  smile  of  invitation. 

He  threw  himself  down  at  her  feet,  and  having 
selected  a  cluster  of  the  purple  fruit,  he  held  it  up 
admiringly  to  the  light. 

"  I  did  n't  see  any  one  on  the  car  except  the  usual 
-+  142  +- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

suburbanites,"  he  remarked.  "  But  would  n't  you 
be  afraid  out  here  all  alone,  with  no  men  to  protect 
you  ?  "  He  wondered  who  the  friend  might  be,  but 
was  too  much  pleased  with  his  own  good  fortune  to 
give  it  more  than  a  passing  thought. 

"I  believe  we  ought  to  be,"  she  confessed,  "but 
we  're  not.  The  truth  is,  we  like  to  get  far  away 
from  civilisation  and  exchange  confidences.  War- 
wick is  a  great  whispering-gallery,  full  of  tale-bearing 
bats  that  peep  and  mutter." 

He  lifted  his  head  and  listened.  "Did  you  get 
that  faint  lift  of  the  breeze  in  the  pines  just  then  ? 
Now  it 's  gone ;  but  it  was  just  like  the  distant 
sound  of  the  surf.  If  my  eyes  were  shut,  I  should 
think  myself  by  the  shore." 

"  Oh,  I  've  been  listening  to  nothing  else  for  the 
last  half  hour,"  she  returned,  "and  I  much  prefer 
the  sound  of  a  human  voice.  Too  much  of  nature 
frightens  me.    You  see  I  have  no  soul." 

"  You  've  too  much  soul,  perhaps,"  he  amended. 
"  If  you  had  less,  you  would  be  impervious  to  such 
suggestions.  But  I  know  what  you  mean.  However, 
we  were  talking  about  our  friend  Emmet,  and  your 
description  of  Warwick  reminded  me  of  his  animad- 
versions on  the  place.  But  let  me  go  back  to  the 
beginning  for  a  fair  start,  and  tell  you  how  I  man- 
aged to  get  hold  of  him."  He  described  the  events 
of  the  morning  following  the  dinner  and  the  visit 
Emmet  had  paid  him  in  the  evening,  putting  in  the 
■*  143  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

personal  detail  with  an  instinctive  knowledge  of  a 
woman's  demand  for  such  things.  Her  evident  ap- 
preciation rewarded  him.  She  had  something  to  say 
of  the  captain  who  had  helped  him  in  his  effort, 
and  at  many  a  point  in  their  talk  the  congeniality 
of  their  minds  became  evident.  "  You  know  how 
Emmet  feels  about  the  college,  and  about  colleges 
in  general  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  nodded  under  standingly. 

"Unfortunately/'  he  continued,  "St.  George's 
Hall  is  personified  for  him  in  Anthony  Cobbens. 
He  told  me  all  about  their  early  associations  and 
subsequent  estrangement.  I  must  say  that  after  his 
arraignment  of  the  man,  I  half  expected  to  see  them 
fly  at  each  other's  throats,  whereas  they  almost  em- 
braced." He  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed 
heartily  at  the  remembrance. 

"The  amenities  of  civilisation  —  and  politics," 
she  murmured,  smiling. 

"  But  how  roiled  poor  Emmet  was  underneath," 
he  mused.  "I  wish  I  had  Cardington's  gift  of 
speech  to  express  the  thoughts  that  have  lately  been 
taking  shape  in  my  mind  concerning  the  spectacle 
of  a  democratic  aristocracy.  Now,  if  Emmet  had 
the  philosophical  attitude  of  mind,  he  would  n't  have 
the  strength  to  struggle  which  he  undoubtedly  does 
have.  He  needs  that  stimulus  of  personal  animosity 
to  get  somewhere ;  if  he  were  philosophical,  he 
would  be  unambitious.  When  he  has  arrived,  as 
-+  144  -i- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

they  say,  he  will  come  to  see  that  an  aristocracy  in 
the  usual  worldly  sense  of  the  term  must  have 
money  to  maintain  its  existence.  The  old  aristo- 
cracy must  have  accessions  of  vulgar  blood  and  vul- 
gar money  to  keep  it  alive,  just  as  the  language 
must  be  rejuvenated  from  time  to  time  by  slang 
from  the  streets.  I  made  a  tentative  effort  to  pre- 
sent some  such  point  of  view  to  him  as  you  sug- 
gested, but  it  didn't  take.  He  could  only  see 
Cobbens's  red  head  in  front  of  his  eyes,  and  it  was 
like  the  proverbial  rag  of  the  same  colour  to  the 
bull.  Emmet  is  a  generation  short  of  being  able  to 
see  in  his  personal  enemy  a  synopsis  of  the  processes 
of  history.  This,  in  short,  is  my  conclusion.  I'm 
afraid  I  did  n't  accomplish  what  we  hoped  for." 

"I  might  have  known  it,"  she  commented.    "  But 
I  'm  grateful  to  you  for  making  the  attempt." 

"  What  hypocrites  we  are  !  "  he  cried,  sitting  up. 
"  A  little  of  my  own  philosophy  would  n't  be  a  bad 
thing  for  home  use.  I  could  easily  allow  myself  to 
get  into  as  great  a  rage  against  Warwick  as  Emmet 
himself.  Already  I  've  begun  to  call  it  hard  names, 
such  as  deadly,  and  cold,  and  snobbish.  I  'm  be- 
ginning to  see  that  a  man  like  myself  must  always 
be  on  the  outside  here.  I  ought  to-have  begun  to 
live  in  Warwick  three  generations  ago,  or  to  have 
brought  a  fortune  with  me.  In  the  West  men  are 
estimated  on  their  individual  merits,  and  one  is  n't 
made  to  feel  himself  an  outsider." 
-••  145  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"Perhaps  because  there's  no  inside  to  get  into/' 
she  suggested  coolly. 

He  had  a  vision  of  that  sanctum  into  which  Cob- 
bens  could  buy  his  way  with  his  wife 's  money,  and 
he  realised  that  this  was  not  the  first  glimpse  he  had 
had  of  a  quality  in  the  woman  he  loved  that  was 
not  all  sweetness. 

"  I  feel  like  one  who  has  interfered  in  a  family 
quarrel/'  he  returned,  good-naturedly.  "Well,  I 
may  be  only  a  transient  here,  a  bird  of  passage 
nesting  for  a  year  in  the  towers  of  the  Hall.  I  will 
earnestly  request  myself  to  be  amused  at  the  spec- 
tacle of  a  democratic  aristocracy."  He  felt  that  in 
her  heart  she  agreed  with  him ;  else,  why  did  she 
favour  Emmet's  candidacy  ? 

"  That  will  be  like  the  attempt  to  extract  sun- 
beams from  cucumbers,"  she  replied,  with  a  note  of 
weariness  in  her  voice.  "  But  the  equanimity  with 
which  you  took  my  speech  about  the  West  makes 
me  feel  like  a  horrid  shrew.  Have  you  really  got  a 
sweet  disposition,  Mr.  Leigh,  or  are  you  just  putting 
on  airs  c 

u  Perhaps  I  have  some  occult  reason  for  wishing 
to  win  your  good  opinion,"  he  suggested. 

For  the  second  time  she  staved  off  a  personal 
drift  in  the  conversation.  "It's  getting  darker," 
she  said,  looking  about  with  sudden  concern. 

"  Don't  say  you  must  be  going,  Miss  Wycliffe," 
he  begged.  "  This  is  the  very  best  part  of  the  day. 
-+  146  +- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

Let  me  light  a  fire  of  pine  cones."  He  started  up 
and  stood  before  her,  anticipating  her  acquiescence. 
She  nodded  her  approval  graciously,  and  at  that 
moment  the  setting  sun,  struggling  through  the 
trees,  shone  full  across  her  face  and  illumined  her 
eyes.  In  this  clear  glow  they  were  no  longer  black, 
but  brown  as  the  brown  velvet  of  her  jacket.  He 
was  haunted  by  a  sense  of  a  duplicated  experience, 
and  then  remembered  the  fragile  girl  sitting  on  the 
stone  step  with  her  basket  of  eggs  in  her  lap.  But 
Miss  Wycliffe's  colouring  was  glorified,  rather  than 
penetrated,  by  the  sun's  rays,  enriched  rather  than 
absorbed.  Her  face,  framed  in  a  large  hat  faced 
underneath  with  a  delicate  tint  of  blue  chiffon, 
seemed  to  look  out  at  him  as  from  an  inverted 
sea-shell,  and  the  picture  arrested  him  on  the  point 
of  going.  As  if  she  suspected  the  cause  of  his 
delay  and  intended  to  break  the  charm,  she  removed 
the  hat  deftly  and  placed  it  with  her  gloves  beside 
her. 

"  I  think  a  fire  would  be  pleasant,"  she  remarked, 
"  though  it  is  really  as  warm  as  summer." 

She  had  changed  the  picture  only  to  improve  it, 
for  the  suggestion  of  wildness  and  freedom  in  her 
dark  hair  fitted  more  perfectly  with  the  spirit  of 
the  twilight  woods.  It  may  be  that  only  a  man  can 
understand  the  fascination  that  exists  for  men  in 
just  such  a  simple  operation  as  she  had  performed. 
The  absolute  femininity  of  it,  the  fumbling  for  the 
-+  147  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

hatpins,  the  deliberate  and  thoughtful  reinserting 
of  them  afterward  in  the  discarded  hat,  where  they 
can  be  found  when  needed,  the  invariable  smooth- 
ing back  of  the  hair  from  brow  and  eyes,  —  all 
these  things  make  their  peculiar  appeal.  It  was  this 
that  caused  Leigh  to  smile  as  he  turned  away  and 
went  in  search  of  fuel,  whistling  softly  to  himself. 
Returning  with  his  hat  well  filled  with  pine  cones, 
he  caught  sight  of  her  face  before  she  noted  his 
approach,  and  was  struck,  as  once  before,  by  her 
expression  of  immeasurable  sadness.  She  sat,  as 
at  first,  embracing  her  knees  with  her  hands,  her 
nether  lip  drawn  in  as  if  she  would  suppress  a  sigh, 
her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  distance  and  shadowed  by 
something  of  the  solemnity  of  the  coming  night. 

As  the  light  flames  shot  suddenly  up  from  the 
heap  of  cones,  their  brilliancy  made  the  surrounding 
woods  seem  vast  and  dark,  the  more  so  as  the  sun 
had  now  sunk  behind  the  hill  across  the  stream,  fill- 
ing the  woods  in  that  quarter  with  a  glow  as  from 
another  fire.  He  fed  the  flames  thoughtfully  with 
bits  of  broken  branches,  talking  somewhat  at  ran- 
dom about  a  camping  trip  in  the  Yosemite. 

"  Is  n't  it  absurd,"  she  said  presently,  "  that  wre 
have  gradually  lowered  our  voices  till  we  are  talk- 
ing almost  in  whispers?" 

"  I  mean  to  break  the  spell  at  once,"  he  declared, 
and  having  made  a  trumpet  with  his  hand,  he  hallooed 
loudly  toward  the  west.  The  result  was  unexpected. 
-+  148  -i- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

A  ghostly  triple  echo,  which  the  lower  tone  of  their 
earlier  conversation  had  failed  to  elicit,  answered 
him  from  the  opposite  shore.  In  broad  daylight  an 
echo  will  suggest  mystery  and  a  bodiless,  impish 
mocker,  even  to  an  unimaginative  mind,  but  now 
the  effect  was  intensified  tenfold  by  the  silence  and 
darkness  that  enclosed  them  like  a  wall. 

"  You  may  laugh,"  she  said,  "  but  I  don't  wonder 
that  primitive  peoples  imagined  a  haunted  nature. 
I  'm  an  absolute  Pagan  this  very  moment.  I  believe 
in  Pan  and  Echo  and  all  the  rest  of  them,  and  I 
don't  like  their  company  a  bit." 

"  Have  you  noticed  how  silent  it  has  grown  all 
of  a  sudden? "  he  asked.  "  It  seems  only  a  few 
minutes  ago  that  we  heard  the  crows  cawing  in  the 
branches,  and  the  woods  were  full  of  small  noises  of 
squirrels  and  birds." 

She  leaned  forward  and  prodded  the  fire  absently 
with  a  stick,  gazing  into  the  flames  as  if  fascinated. 
Presently  a  whiff  of  smoke  unlike  that  from  the 
burning  faggots  reached  her,  and  she  looked  up  to 
see  that  he  had  lighted  his  pipe. 

"I  don't  mind  your  smoking,"  she  commented, 
smiling,  "  but  if  that 's  a  sign  that  you  have  settled 
down  for  half  an  hour  of  solid  comfort,  I  must  inter- 
pose.   You  can  smoke  as  we  go  along." 

"It's  only  half-past  five,"  he  said  regretfully, 
holding  up  his  watch  to  the  light. 

Her  reply  was  forestalled  by  a  sound,  slight  in 
-►  149  ♦* 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

itself,  and  one  that  would  have  passed  unnoted  an 
hour  before,  the  sharp  snapping  of  a  twig  somewhere 
in  the  darkness  behind  her.  Only  when  he  saw  her 
start,  and  the  widening  of  her  dark  eyes,  did  he 
realise  how  much  truth  had  been  contained  in  her 
jesting  confessions  of  a  few  moments  since.  He 
could  see  that  she  was  more  than  startled,  that  her 
emotion  was  one  of  fright. 

"  Why,  it 's  nothing,"  he  said  reassuringly,  rising 
to  his  feet.  "  Any  little  noise  sounds  loud  in  the 
woods  at  night.  It  was  only  a  squirrel,  or  a  decayed 
branch  giving  way.  I  '11  prove  it  to  you."  He 
raised  his  voice  and  called  :  "  Hello,  there  !  "  The 
result  was  vaguely  disconcerting.  "  I  forgot  our 
friend  Echo,"  he  said  apologetically.  With  some 
idea  of  restoring  her  composure  by  his  own  uncon- 
cern, he  began  to  move  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  sound  had  come ;  but  he  had  taken  only  a  few 
steps  when  a  blot  of  darkness  which  had  crouched 
before  him  like  a  huge  stone  or  the  stump  of  a  tree 
suddenly  detached  itself  and  rose  into  the  form  of 
a  man.  Leigh  had  an  indistinct  vision  of  a  face, 
of  arms  that  seemed  to  ward  him  off,  and  then  the 
intruder  fled  without  a  word,  breaking  through 
the  woods  like  a  frightened  animal.  He  stumbled 
back  to  the  fire,  and  stood  listening  till  the  sounds 
of  flight  had  died  away. 

"  Well,"  he  declared,  "  that  was  a  surprise !  A 
mutual  one  too,  it  seems.  I  don't  know  which  of  us 
-+  150  ■*- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

was  frightened  the  most,  but  we  got  away  from  each 
other  as  fast  as  we  could." 

"  Oh,  I  knew  it ! "  she  cried,  beginning  to  fasten 
on  her  hat  with  trembling  fingers.  "  I  had  felt  for 
some  time  that  we  were  not  alone." 

"  It  was  only  the  keeper,"  he  assured  her,  "  or 
some  tramp,  attracted  by  the  firelight  and  thinking 
he  had  stumbled  upon  the  camp  of  one  of  his  pals. 
Let's  leave  him  the  rest  of  the  grapes,  to  show  that 
we  bear  him  no  ill-will  for  the  shock  he  has  given 
us.  I'll  just  scrape  a  ring  about  the  fire  to  keep  it 
from  spreading." 

"  This  is  my  last  picnic,"  she  declared,  "  for  this 
year  at  least.  I  couldn't  come  here  again  after  that 
fright." 

"Perhaps  it's  just  as  well  I  happened  along,"  he 
remarked.  "That  fellow  may  have  been  lurking 
about  the  woods  all  the  afternoon,  hoping  to  pick 
up  something  from  late  visitors  like  ourselves." 

A  moment  later  he  regretted  his  ill-considered 
words,  for  at  the  thought  of  the  peril  she  might  have 
been  in,  she  rose  to  her  feet  with  an  evident  return 
of  her  panic.  Without  waiting  to  put  on  her  gloves, 
she  thrust  them  into  his  hands  with  an  impulsive 
movement,  almost  childlike  in  its  unconscious  be- 
trayal of  emotion.  He  put  the  gloves  in  his  pocket 
and  took  her  hand  to  lead  her  down  the  slope.  "  It 's 
slippery  here,"  he  explained.  But  there  was  no  need 
to  apologize  for  what  she  by  no  means  considered  a 
-h  151  ••- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

liberty.  Indeed,  though  he  was  conscious  of  nothing 
so  much  as  of  her  hand  in  his,  he  was  aware  that  she 
felt  in  his  own  merely  a  needed  support.  As  she 
leaned  upon  him  in  the  descent,  he  divined  that  her 
fear  increased,  instead  of  diminishing,  with  their 
progress  into  the  circumjacent  darkness,  as  if  the  act 
of  flight  intensified  an  appreciation  of  the  original 
cause.  He  strove  to  dispel  the  emotion  his  own 
words  had  done  so  much  to  arouse,  not  without  a 
guilty  self-congratulation  that  his  thoughtlessness 
had  driven  her  to  his  protection.  Feeling  his  way 
thus,  step  by  step,  he  presently  saw  before  his  feet, 
as  in  a  dream,  the  dim  reflection  of  a  star;  and 
then  the  stream  grew  upon  his  vision,  like  a  strip 
of  fallen  sky. 

At  that  moment  her  foot  slipped  on  the  smooth 
pine  needles,  and  with  a  smothered  cry  she  seemed 
almost  to  swoon  into  his  arms  at  the  very  margin  of 
the  water.  Instinctively  he  held  her  close,  her  heart 
beating  wildly  against  his  own.  A  fragrance  sweeter 
than  the  fragrance  of  the  woods  pervaded  his  senses, 
and  he  felt  her  hair  brush  against  his  cheek.  Then 
she  stood  released,  having  recovered  herself  with  a 
swift  impulse,  like  a  wild  creature  that  had  felt  in 
time  the  first  touch  of  the  snare.  This  elusiveness, 
this  sudden  recoil  from  his  contact,  sobered  him. 
What  he  might  have  done,  had  she  remained  a  mo- 
ment longer  in  his  arms,  must  be  forever  a  matter 
of  conjecture  with  him  now ;  but  the  intoxication 
-*  152  4- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

vanished  like  a  vapor  from  his  mind,  leaving  a  keen 
vision  of  the  situation  in  its  uncoloured  reality. 
There  arose  within  him  a  certain  sense  of  shame  that 
he  had  given  so  much  and  received,  as  yet,  nothing 
in  kind.  He  had  passed  that  period  of  youth  when 
a  stolen  kiss  seems  the  acme  of  love 's  adventure. 
Such  a  theft  on  his  part,  irrespective  of  its  conse- 
quences, would  have  left  him  still  unsatisfied. 

The  belt  of  sky  above  the  stream  was  sown 
thick  with  stars,  that  were  beginning  to  make  them- 
selves felt  more  clearly  each  moment  as  the  turning 
world  gradually  plunged  this  part  of  its  surface  into 
deeper  shadow.  In  this  wan  light  the  pathway  lay 
dimly  discernible  before  them.  The  condition  of  the 
atmosphere  was  such  as  is  best  described  by  the  word 
sublustris,  that  glimmering  radiance  which  lies  some- 
where between  thick  darkness  and  such  a  light  as 
is  thrown  by  the  crescent  moon.  It  was  no  longer 
necessary  that  he  should  guide  her  as  before,  and  as 
soon  as  she  had  freed  herself  from  his  embrace,  she 
began  to  take  the  lead. 

"  What  a  coward  you  must  think  me !  "  she  said, 
with  a  ghostly  little  laugh.  "  Even  now  I  would  n't 
dare  go  last.  As  it  is,  I  can  see  ahead  and  know  that 
you  are  behind  me." 

Her  confidence  in  his  protecting  power  brought 

him  scant  consolation.    A  spirit  of  dreariness  seemed 

to  rise  up  from   the  faint  reflections  that  floated 

on  the  stagnant  water ;  it  blew  stealthily  out  of  the 

-+  153  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

encroaching  woods,  and  was  voiced  in  the  stuttering, 
tentative  note  of  an  awakened  owl.  Familiarity  with 
nature  had  freed  him  from  that  sense  of  pursuit  in 
the  woods  at  night  which  oppresses  even  a  stout 
heart  unaccustomed  to  loneliness,  and  the  flight  of 
the  unexpected  apparition  was  sufficient  proof  that 
he  had  no  desire  to  molest  them.  The  incident  cer- 
tainly offered  no  ground  for  continued  uneasiness,  he 
reflected.  Why,  then,  did  she  make  so  much  of  it  ? 
Why  indeed,  except  that  her  companion  was  not 
the  one  man  in  all  the  world  with  whom  she  would 
choose  to  be  there  alone.  The  time  and  the  place 
were  full  of  romantic  suggestions,  were  the  loved  one 
present.  That  he  was  not  present  was  indicated 
only  too  clearly  by  the  unconscious  confession  of 
her  next  remark :  "  I  would  n't  have  believed  two 
hours  ago  that  this  path  could  seem  so  long !" 

They  reached  the  boat-house  at  last,  but  instead  of 
turning  up  the  ravine  which  he  had  followed  from 
the  spring,  she  ascended  a  flight  of  stairs  and  came 
out  upon  an  open  road.  From  this  point  their  way 
was  straight  and  plain.  On  their  right  lay  the  woods 
from  which  they  had  emerged,  and  on  their  left 
was  an  unobstructed  field.  In  this  free  space  the 
heavens  seemed  to  expand  immeasurably,  and  both 
felt  the  influence  of  the  change.  She  began  to  make 
light  of  her  former  alarm,  and  his  mood  became 
more  hopeful.  He  told  himself  that  he  had  nour- 
ished impossible  expectations,  considering  their  short 
-+  154  +- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

acquaintance,  and  that  the  remnant  of  their  time 
together  could  be  better  employed  than  by  indulging 
alone  his  wounded  pride.  As  they  walked  up  and 
down  the  platform,  waiting  for  the  car,  the  frogs 
from  a  near-by  pool  trilled  intermittently,  and  they 
paused  to  listen. 

"  They  seem  to  be  congratulating  themselves 
upon  the  prolongation  of  the  summer  season,"  he 
remarked.  "Miss  Wycliffe,  have  you  any  peculiar 
associations  with  that  sound  ?  " 

"  Dinners,"  she  returned  flippantly.  "  Heavens  ! 
I  've  had  enough  of  nature  for  one  evening.  How 
perfectly  melancholy !  But  what  do  they  remind 
you  of?" 

"  I  'in  in  a  reminiscent  mood,"  he  confessed.  "  I 
can  never  hear  the  frogs  trilling  in  the  night  with- 
out being  reminded  of  the  marshlands  around  my 
native  town  in  the  Middle  West.  Every  night,  all 
summer  long,  I  could  hear  that  symphony  through 
the  open  windows  of  my  room,  and  because  I  was 
then  in  the  adventurous  and  romantic  period  of 
youth,  the  recurrence  of  the  sound  brings  back  an 
echo  of  old  emotions.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  being 
called  upon  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  seek  my 
fortune." 

"  Have  you  been  back  there  lately  ?  "  she  asked. 

"How  does  it  seem  to  revisit  the  home  of  your 

childhood  after  having  had  adventures,  and  after 

having  done  something  in  the  world?   I've  never 

■^  155  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

had  any  home  but  this,  I  've  never  travelled  except 
for  pleasure,  and  I  Ve  never  accomplished  any- 
thing." 

Leigh  lifted  his  head  and  laughed,  but  the  laugh 
was  not  altogether  a  happy  one.  "  You  present  me 
to  myself  in  a  new  light,"  he  answered.  "  So  far  I 
have  only  accomplished  the  feat  of  reaching  the  first 
rung  of  the  ladder  which  I  used  to  think  I  would 
have  climbed  by  this  time.  But  yes,  I  have  been 
back  there  recently,  and  found  everything  changed. 
In  fact,  the  West  is  a  symbol  of  mutation.  The 
marshlands  have  been  filled  in  ;  streets  extend  across 
the  places  where  I  used  to  go  for  cat-tails ;  they 
have  no  more  batrachian  concerts  there  now.  The 
only  reminder  of  that  earlier  characteristic  of  the 
place  is  a  huge  green  frog  worked  out  in  a  marble 
mosaic  on  the  floor  of  the  new  court  house.  That  is 
the  seal  of  my  native  town." 

By  mere  accident  Leigh  had  made  that  first  im- 
portant step  in  love's  progress ;  he  had  succeeded 
in  arousing  a  personal  interest. 

"  It 's  quite  charming,"  she  commented,  "  and  not 
lacking  in  an  element  of  poetry,  either." 

"  Poetry,"  he  echoed,  inspired  by  her  apprecia- 
tion. "It's  just  those  apparently  common  things 
that  are  so  full  of  it,  but  the  poets  don't  see  it,  or 
else  they  don't  quite  dare  to  give  it  expression. 
The  conventions  of  the  art  are  too  overpowering. 
Take  the  railroad  train,  for  example,  which  stands 
-+  156  h- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

to  most  of  us  for  convenience  combined  with  a  cer- 
tain measure  of  discomfort.  There  's  nothing  more 
stimulating  to  the  imagination  than  the  whistle  of  a 
locomotive  in  the  distance  at  night,  though  perhaps 
only  the  poor,  to  whom  travel  is  a  luxury,  appre- 
ciate to  the  full  its  invitation  and  the  suggestion 
of  adventure.  Working  up  from  one  stratum  to 
another  through  difficulties,  they  are  attended  by  a 
growing  wonder  as  the  world  expands  before  them. 
But  to  have  all  experiences  open  to  you  from  the 
first  by  the  power  of  wealth,  such  as  travel  and 
theatres,  for  example,  is  the  real  misfortune  of  birth. 
The  curiosity  of  the  rich  is  gratified  before  it  is 
stimulated  by  denial.    Then  what  is  left  to  them  ?  " 

"  Ennui,"  she  answered  simply. 

"  What  a  blessing  it  is,  then,"  he  went  on,  "  to 
have  no  time  for  that  emotion,  or  rather,  lack  of 
emotion.  I  believe  that  if  I  had  been  born  rich,  I 
should  have  been  ruined  long  before  this ;  but  I  set 
myself  a  long  road  to  travel,  a  road  that  reaches,  in 
fact "  —  he  made  a  wide  upward  gesture  —  "  to  the 
stars." 

"  Now  what  is  it,"  he  continued,  after  a  pause, 
"  that  makes  Warwick  so  uninspiring,  in  spite  of  its 
obvious  charm  ?  Is  n't  it  the  spiritual  stagnation 
that  comes  with  wealth  and  aristocracy?  One  reads 
it  in  the  very  faces  of  the  people,  and  recognises  it 
in  the  things  they  think  worth  while.  It  doesn't 
need  a  long  observation  to  discover  this.  A  stranger 
-*  157  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

takes  in  the  impression  with  his  first  breath  here. 
Like  the  first  glance  at  a  new  face,  it  reveals  the 
truth.  Afterward  you  get  accustomed  to  an  unpre- 
possessing face,  and  forget  what  you  first  thought  of 
it.  In  much  the  same  way,  I  suppose,  a  man  could 
become  hypnotised  and  drugged  by  the  atmosphere 
of  Warwick.  All  this  is  in  the  nature  of  an  expla- 
nation of  what  I  meant  this  afternoon  by  my  denun- 
ciation of  the  place." 

She  stood  silently  looking  down  into  the  pool 
from  which  arose  the  sound  that  had  brought  them 
to  this  point.  It  was  evident  that  she  felt  no  temp- 
tation now  to  indulge  in  one  of  those  retorts  that 
came  so  easily  to  her  tongue.  Leigh  had  appealed 
to  her  imagination,  a  thing  which  the  modern  man 
more  rarely  succeeds  in  doing  with  a  woman  than 
his  predecessor  who  wore*  gay  garments  and  rode  a 
caparisoned  steed  in  the  lists.  Besides,  his  earnest- 
ness had  given  his  thought,  though  it  was  by  no 
means  a  new  one,  his  own  personal  stamp,  and  won 
its  acceptance.  Deeper  than  these  causes,  he  had 
expressed  her  own  convictions. 

"  A  denunciation,"  he  continued  shrewdly,  "  with 
which  you  sympathised." 

"  One  must  do  something,"  she  said,  with  a  little 
gesture  of  despair,  "  or  die  of  suffocation." 

"  Exactly,"  he  agreed,  "  even  if  it  be  only  to  take 
the  side  of  the  under  dog  in  a  municipal  election. 
Can  you  wonder  that  your  sympathy  with  Emmet, 
-+  158  *- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

your  evident  revolt  against  the  point  of  view  of 
your  own  class,  set  me  to  speculating  upon  the  rea- 
son ?  Have  I  worked  out  the  problem  to  its  demon- 
stration ?  " 

Her  silence  seemed  to  give  assent  to  his  question, 
though  she  was  apparently  so  deeply  plunged  in 
thought  that  she  forgot  to  reply  in  words ;  and  the 
appearance  of  the  headlight  of  the  trolley-car  down 
the  track  brought  their  conversation  to  a  close. 
Miss  Wycliffe  herself  suggested  that  they  take  the 
front  seat  beside  the  motorman,  explaining  that  she 
always  enjoyed  the  unobstructed  view  ahead.  He 
handed  her  up,  pleased  to  think  that  they  were  still 
to  be  for  some  time  practically  alone.  At  their 
backs  a  glass  partition  shut  off  the  rest  of  the  car ; 
the  motorman  himself  seemed  a  mere  automaton, 
with  ears  for  nothing  but  the  bell,  and  eyes  for 
nothing  but  the  gleaming  track  ahead.  Leigh  sus- 
pected that  a  wish  to  avoid  a  possible  recognition 
from  some  passenger  had  influenced  her  in  taking 
this  seat,  and  he  dared  to  hope  also  that  she  shared 
his  appreciation  of  the  further  opportunity  to  be 
alone  together.  Their  conversation,  however,  was 
fragmentary,  as  if  each  were  deep  in  incommunica- 
ble thoughts.  From  time  to  time,  as  the  car  swung 
swiftly  around  a  curve,  she  swayed  against  him 
softly,  so  that  he  began  to  look  expectantly  ahead 
for  a  change  in  the  straight  line  of  the  track,  laugh- 
ing happily  to  himself  at  her  involuntary  apology. 
-f  159  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Their  comradeship  seemed  to  have  entered  upon 
a  stage  in  which  mere  propinquity  was  sufficient 
to  give  content  without  the  aid  of  conversation,  and 
a  deep  serenity  of  mood  had  now  replaced  the 
wavering  uncertainties  of  his  earlier  emotions.  This 
atmosphere  of  harmony  and  understanding  remained 
unbroken  until  they  stood  before  her  house;  but 
now  an  inexplicable  change  occurred.  She  suddenly 
held  out  her  hand  with  a  gesture  that  seemed  to 
him  frankly  impatient,  as  if  she  were  anxious  to  be 
gone.  "And  my  gloves,"  she  said.  "I  think  I 
gave  them  to  you." 

He  produced  them  reluctantly.  "  I  had  hoped 
you  would  forget  them,  Miss  Wycliffe." 

"  One  does  n't  easily  forget  a  new  pair  of  gloves," 
she  answered  in  a  tone  cruelly  matter-of-fact,  as  if 
she  would  show  deliberately  her  unconcern.  He 
could  now  see  all  too  clearly  what  a  fool's  dream 
he  had  cherished,  and  the  awakening  was  painfully 
abrupt.  He  divined  that  something  was  amiss, 
something  of  which  he  had  no  knowledge  or  right 
to  a  knowledge.  During  that  afternoon  he  had 
passed  through  the  whole  gamut  of  a  lover's  emo- 
tions, only  to  strike  at  last  the  lowest  note  of  all, 
and  he  watched  her  hurrying  up  the  walk  as  if  she 
were  going  out  of  his  life  forever. 

That  evening  he  turned  over  in  his  mind  all  the 
phases  of  their  enigmatical  relationship,  cursing  his 
bland  folly  as  he  recalled  with  keen  humiliation  his 

-H    160    4- 


IN    THE    WOOD    SO    LATE 

complacent  explanation  of  her  to  herself  while  they 
waited  for  the  car.  Her  manner  at  parting  appeared 
nothing  less  than  a  decisive  rebuke.  When  at 
length  he  fell  asleep,  he  was  visited  by  a  ghastly 
dream,  in  which  the  incident  in  the  woods  was  re- 
enacted  with  all  the  grewsome  accentuation  that 
belongs  to  the  realm  of  dreamland.  Again  the  shad- 
owy figure  rose  up  before  his  feet  and  fled  away. 
He  pursued  and  grappled  with  the  intruder  in  the 
darkness,  demanding  his  name  and  trying  to  see  his 
face.  Finally  he  seemed  to  prevail,  but  the  figure 
slipped  from  his  grasp  and  left  him  there  alone. 
He  turned  back  then,  seeking  the  fire  and  smitten 
with  poignant  anxiety  for  the  woman  he  loved ;  but 
the  light  was  quenched,  and  the  place  could  not  be 
found.  After  struggling  for  what  seemed  a  lifetime 
through  mazes  of  darkness  and  terror,  he  awoke. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  IX 

"HER   HEART   WAS    OTHERWHERE" 

./V  FEW  nights  after  the  meeting  in  the  woods, 
Leigh  was  hurrying  along  Birdseye  Avenue,  like 
the  belated  White  Rabbit  on  its  way  to  the  Queen's 
croquet  party.  He  was  going  to  a  lecture  on  Ve- 
lasquez at  the  house  of  one  of  his  colleagues,  Pro- 
fessor Littleford.  The  beginning  of  the  lecture  was 
set  for  eight  o'clock,  and  it  was  now  past  the  hour, 
for  he  had  been  detained  in  the  city  by  the  joint 
debate  between  Emmet  and  Judge  Swigart,  put  at 
half  past  five  that  the  workingmen  might  have  an 
opportunity  to  attend. 

The  time  consumed  in  returning  to  the  Hall,  in 
dining  and  dressing,  almost  convinced  him  of  the 
advisability  of  staying  at  home,  but  he  reflected 
that  to  do  so  was  probably  to  miss  a  chance  of  see- 
ing Miss  Wycliffe,  and  this  was  a  risk  he  was  by 
no  means  disposed  to  run.  He  was  possessed  by  a 
desire  to  see  her  again  and  to  test  the  permanency 
of  her  last  mood  with  him,  when  she  had  demanded 
her  gloves  and  left  him  in  despair.  If  she  were  in- 
clined to  repentance,  he  felt  that  he  would  know  it, 
even  if  he  managed  to  meet  her  for  only  a  moment 
-+  162  +- 


HER    HEART 


in  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  But  it  chanced  that  fate 
was  kinder  to  him  than  he  had  dared  to  hope. 

As  he  had  anticipated,  he  was  one  of  the  last 
arrivals,  but  he  was  not  destined  to  experience  the 
embarrassment  he  feared  from  this  circumstance.  The 
wide  hallway  of  the  great  house  was  deserted,  and 
he  threaded  his  way  through  several  dimly  lighted 
drawing-rooms  in  the  direction  of  a  voice  that  in- 
dicated the  location  of  the  lecturer.  Not  until  he 
stood  in  the  doorway  of  what  appeared  to  be  an 
assembly  hall,  and  was  in  reality  the  ballroom  of  the 
house,  did  he  realise  the  reason  of  the  obscurity 
through  which  he  had  passed.  At  the  far  end  of 
the  room,  he  saw  one  of  the  well-known  portraits 
of  Philip  IV  projected  by  a  lantern  upon  a  huge 
sheet  of  canvas.  The  widening  shaft  of  light  that 
traversed  the  intervening  space  dimly  disclosed  the 
audience  as  a  series  of  heads,  from  which  arose  a 
sibilant  wave  of  amused  comment  as  the  portrait  of 
the  king  melted  into  that  of  his  daughter,  a  serious 
infant  with  corkscrew  curls,  all  unconscious  of  the 
monstrous  absurdity  of  her  voluminous  skirts.  This 
transition  from  one  picture  to  another  was  accepted 
by  one  of  the  audience  as  an  opportunity  to  shift 
his  chair,  and  Leigh  saw  the  bishop's  salient  profile 
thrown  for  a  moment  on  the  canvas,  before  he  sub- 
sided again  to  the  general  level. 

The  young  man  supposed  that  in  thus  discovering 
the  whereabouts  of  the  bishop  he  had  also  located 
-►  163  ■* 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

his  daughter,  and  he  marked  the  spot  against  the 
restoration  of  full  light  to  the  room.  Meanwhile  he 
maintained  his  position  in  the  door,  and  would  have 
continued  to  do  so,  had  not  his  host  tiptoed  to  his 
side  and  thrust  him  into  a  near-by  chair. 

For  some  time  he  remained  almost  rigidly  still,  as 
if  he  would  make  amends  for  the  slight  noise  of  his 
entrance  by  subsequent  self-effacement.  The  suc- 
cession of  pictures,  even  the  surrender  of  Breda  and 
the  scene  of  the  jolly  drinkers,  shared  his  attention 
with  that  part  of  the  room  in  which  he  had  seen 
the  bishop  rise,  but  he  soon  realised  that  no  further 
discoveries  were  possible  as  yet  in  that  direction,  and 
began  to  pay  more  heed  to  the  lecturer. 

He  knew  in  a  vague  way  that  he  was  sitting 
beside  a  woman;  but  presently  this  consciousness 
increased  till  it  became  a  delicate  and  pervasive 
atmosphere.  There  was  a  seduction  in  the  shadowy 
presence  that  distracted  his  thoughts  from  the  woman 
he  loved,  sitting  somewhere  there  in  the  obscurity 
before  him.  He  experienced  a  well-nigh  guilty  plea- 
sure in  this  temporary  yielding  to  a  feminine  influ- 
ence other  than  that  to  which  he  had  consecrated 
himself,  and  finally  he  admitted  his  deliberate  ap- 
preciation. Leaning  back  in  his  chair  and  turning 
his  head  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  he  saw  for  the  first 
time  the  trick  his  mind  had  played  him.  Convinced 
though  he  had  been  that  Miss  Wy cliff e  was  in 
another  part  of  the  room,  he  had  known  all  the 

-+    164   +? 


HER    HEART 


time  with  his  senses  that  she  was  sitting  at  his  side. 
At  least,  it  now  seemed  to  him  that  his  apparent 
disloyalty  was  in  reality  an  involuntary  tribute  to 
her  quality.  She  had  made  herself  felt  even  when 
he  thought  she  was  another.  As  he  looked  down  at 
her  rounded  cheek  and  white  shoulders,  she  lifted 
her  eyes  with  a  recognition  as  suppressed  as  that  of 
acquaintances  in  church,  and  then  whispered  inau- 
dibly  in  the  ear  of  a  companion  beyond.  It  was 
now  that  he  saw  a  bunch  of  lilies  of  the  valley  in 
the  hand  that  rested  in  her  lap,  and  knew  by  what 
channel  his  imagination  had  been  awakened. 

The  lecture  was  shorter  than  Leigh  had  antici- 
pated, and  all  too  short  for  his  desire.  There  was  in 
his  present  position  a  peculiar,  unspoken  intimacy 
of  which  he  felt  that  she  also  must  be  aware.  It 
seemed  unlikely  that  he  could  see  her  alone,  and 
he  cherished  every  moment  as  perhaps  the  best  that 
would  be  vouchsafed.  Almost  before  he  realised  what 
had  happened,  the  walls  of  the  room  sprang  into  view 
at  the  sharp  click  of  the  electric  lights,  and  he  saw 
the  lecturer,  previously  a  disembodied  voice,  making 
his  final  bow.  As  he  rose  with  the  others,  he  caught 
a  glimpse  of  many  faces  already  familiar,  and  felt 
unexpectedly  at  home.  Among  the  crowd  he  recog- 
nized Cardington  by  the  bishop's  side,  Cobbens's 
smiling  face,  several  of  his  colleagues,  and  a  number 
of  the  students.  The  tide  set  toward  the  door,  and 
they  were  carried  before  it.  Not  until  they  reached 
-«■  165  -K- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  less  crowded  room  beyond  did  Leigh  perceive 
that  Miss  Wycliffe  was  still  closely  attended  by  the 
companion  with  whom  she  had  exchanged  an  occa- 
sional whisper  at  the  lecture. 

"You  remember  Mrs.  Parr?"  she  reminded  him. 

"  I  do  indeed,"  he  replied,  though  till  now  he  had 
received  merely  the  impression  of  a  face  vaguely 
familiar. 

"  But  you  passed  me  only  yesterday  on  the  street 
without  recognition/'  Mrs.  Parr  complained.  "I 
don't  know  whether  I  ought  to  speak  to  you  or  not." 

The  tone  of  her  voice,  which  aimed  at  charming 
piquancy  and  realised  only  an  airy  affectation,  at- 
tracted his  attention,  and  revamped  her  upon  his 
mind  as  one  of  the  party  of  star-gazers.  Her  per- 
sonality was  acrid  and  insistent,  and  he  imagined 
that  the  friendship  between  the  two  women  was  of 
her  own  making  and  maintenance.  The  nature  of 
her  greeting  left  him  no  choice  but  a  flat  and  awk- 
ward confession  of  absent-mindedness.  This  trifling 
irritation,  however,  was  of  small  moment  compared 
with  the  fact  that  Miss  Wycliffe  was  evidently  con- 
tent with  his  company  and  not  disposed  to  leave 
him,  as  she  could  easily  have  done  upon  a  reason- 
able pretext.  The  three  continued  together,  drift- 
ing in  the  same  direction  through  the  rooms  which 
now  began  to  present  a  bewildering  spectacle  of 
changing  groups  and  colours.  Their  talk  was  the 
usual  art  jargon  which  the  recent  lecture  suggested, 
-+  166  +- 


HER    HEART 


but  in  this  Leigh  bore  perforce  a  subordinate  part. 
It  was  Mrs.  Parr  who  appealed  to  him  from  time  to 
time  for  a  confirmation  of  her  views  concerning 
composition,  drawing,  and  high  lights,  and  each 
appeal  presented  itself  to  him  as  an  interruption. 
At  last  he  was  merely  relieved  to  find  that  she  had 
disappeared.  Miss  Wycliffe  regarded  him  with  a 
curious  look,  in  which  disapproval  of  his  uncon- 
scious rudeness  was  mitigated  by  an  indulgent  ap- 
preciation of  its  cause. 

u  You  've  succeeded  in  driving  her  away  at  last," 
she  said,  with  a  touch  of  severity. 

He  divined  that  he  was  not  seriously  under  the 
ban  of  her  displeasure.  "  I  ?  "  he  echoed,  disingen- 
uously. 

"  She  began  by  taking  a  great  fancy  to  you,"  she 
went  on,  "  that  night  on  the  tower,  but  you  simply 
refused  to  pay  any  attention  to  her.  And  to-night 
you  behaved  in  the  same  manner.  When  you  came 
and  sat  beside  us,  she  regarded  it  as  quite  a  romantic 
little  event." 

"  She  has  a  husband,  has  n't  she  ?  "  he  questioned 
bluntly. 

"  Yes,  but  she  still  indulges  fancies  for  '  stunning 
young  men.' " 

"  Then  Mr.  Parr  does  n't  answer  to  that  descrip- 
tion, I  suppose  ?  "  he  queried. 

"  Mr.  Parr  is  more  stunned  than  stunning,"  she 
achieved,  quick  as  a  flash. 

-+  167  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  I  don't  wonder  at  it,"  he  said,  laughing  heart- 
ily. "  I  seem  to  see  the  poor  fellow  sunk  in  a  coma 
of  marital  despair." 

"  This  is  extremely  wicked  and  ungrateful  talk  in 
both  of  us,"  she  murmured,  "  and  I  shall  encourage 
it  no  further." 

Leigh  was  fairly  intoxicated  by  Miss  Wycliffe's 
manner  toward  him.  She  had  never  been  so  frankly 
sweet  before,  and  he  had  never  seen  her  as  radi- 
ant as  now.  She  had  the  air  of  one  filled  with  a 
mischievous  impulse,  which  she  restrained  with  an 
effort.  A  suggestion  of  daring  lurked  in  her  mo- 
mentary sidelong  glance,  and  awoke  in  him  a  re- 
sponsive exhilaration.  To  other  eyes  that  watched 
them  curiously  she  appeared  to  assume  a  certain 
proprietary  right.  If  she  introduced  him  to  this 
one  or  that,  if  they  ran  into  other  groups  from  time 
to  time,  she  contrived  with  exquisite  skill  to  make 
these  interruptions  temporary  and  to  keep  him  to 
herself. 

Their  progress,  though  he  was  but  dimly  aware 
of  it,  was  something  of  a  triumphal  one  for  himself. 
He  was  sufficiently  striking  in  appearance  when 
alone  to  attract  attention,  and  Miss  Wycliffe's  evi- 
dent partiality  now  made  him  a  special  mark  for 
speculative  glances.  He  began  to  gain  an  appreci- 
ation of  her  absolutely  entrenched  position  in  that 
society  in  which  the  older  women  were  inclined  to 
pet  her  and  the  older  men  indulged  in  gallant  little 
-t-  168  •*- 


HER    HEART 


speeches.  As  for  her  contemporaries,  they  paid  her 
tribute  in  their  kind. 

In  this  way  they  participated  in  the  slow  move- 
ment that  for  some  time  had  been  turning:  toward  the 
dining-room.  Through  the  open  door  they  saw  the 
solid  phalanx  of  earnest  eaters  that  surged  about 
the  tables.  To  disinterested  eyes  the  sight  might 
have  appeared  one  of  agonised  appetition,  in  which, 
as  in  battle,  some  particular  person  or  movement 
arrested  the  attention  for  a  moment  from  the  gen- 
eral effect :  a  stout  and  determined  matron  planted 
like  James  Fitz-James  upon  his  rock ;  a  tall  youth 
with  salad  raised  aloft  as  he  turned  to  make  his  es- 
cape ;  the  perspiring  face  of  some  bewildered  darkey, 
who  could  have  found  ample  use  for  the  hands  of  a 
Briareus  in  the  stress  of  conflicting  orders.  Leigh 
turned  to  his  companion  with  an  enquiring  glance. 

"Will  you  allow  me  to  forage  for  you,  Miss 
Wycliffe?" 

She  shook  her  head.  "  Not  yet,  at  any  rate,"  she 
answered.  "  What  a  spectacle  !  We  might  step  into 
the  conservatory  and  rest  awhile.*' 

She  led  the  way  through  a  near-by  door  into  the 
vistas  of  greenness  beyond.  There  she  paused  from 
time  to  time  to  call  his  attention  to  some  rare  plant, 
to  lift  some  blossom  to  her  face,  and  then  went  on 
with  the  assurance  of  one  entirely  at  home  in  her 
surroundings.  Through  the  thick  branches  Leigh 
caught  more  than  one  glimpse  of  a  white  dress,  and 
-+  169  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

heard  an  occasional  ripple  of  youthful  merriment. 
The  vision  of  one  of  his  students  hurrying  down  a 
parallel  aisle  with  spoils  from  the  table  gave  him 
a  humorous  sense  of  fellow  feeling. 

At  length  they  found  a  seat  of  twisted  branches, 
screened  by  a  row  of  palms.  From  the  hallway  of 
the  house  the  scraping  of  the  violins  came  intermit- 
tently, like  the  sound  of  crickets  in  a  distant  field, 
so  faint  that  they  could  also  hear  the  puffing  of  the 
breeze  through  a  raised  panel  in  the  slanting  roof 
of  glass  above  their  heads.  It  seemed  as  if  the  won- 
derful Indian  Summer  night  were  trying  to  steal 
in  among  the  guests  through  that  small  opening, 
to  bid  them  be  still.  To  look  up  at  that  vitreous, 
transparent  roof  was  like  gazing  into  the  enchant- 
ment of  a  witch's  mirror,  so  imminent  was  the  mys- 
terious depth  of  the  night  beyond.  Miss  Wycliffe 
emitted  the  ghost  of  a  sigh,  as  if  to  express  her 
relief  and  sense  of  escape,  perhaps  her  weariness. 
Leigh,  following  her  glance  upward,  caught  sight  of 
a  solitary,  brilliant  star  peeping  through  the  trian- 
gular aperture,  and  reflected  with  keen  appreciation 
that  it  was  the  planet  Venus.  There  was  an  oppor- 
tunity in  this  chance  apparition,  of  which,  however, 
he  did  not  avail  himself.  It  was  true  that  she  had 
drawn  his  eyes  down  from  the  stars  to  gaze  into 
her  own,  and  that  the  planet  upon  which  they  then 
looked  together  had  been  given  the  name  of  the 
goddess  of  love.  These  facts,  beautifully  coincident 
-+  170  +- 


HER    HEART 


as  they  seemed  to  him,  would  not  bear  expression 
in  words.  She  would  think  he  was  making  conven- 
tional love  to  her,  and  his  instinct  forbade  such  an 
obvious  beginning.  He  spoke,  therefore,  only  of  the 
refreshing  contrast  of  their  asylum  with  the  noise 
and  glare  of  the  drawing-rooms,  noting  with  a  pass- 
ing pang  as  he  did  so  that  the  lilies  of  the  valley 
which  she  had  carried  with  her  thus  far  were  droop- 
ing in  her  lap,  their  expiring  odour  quenched  by 
the  heavy  fragrance  about  them. 

Perhaps  it  was  a  touch  of  feminine  perversity  that 
led  her  to  acquiesce  in  his  animadversions  upon  the 
scene  they  had  just  left.  It  was  certainly  a  function 
in  which  she  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  shine,  and  she 
had  taken  her  part  with  every  appearance  of  enjoy- 
ment; yet  her  comments  were  more  caustic  than 
his  own. 

"  The  lecture  was  the  better  part,"  she  declared. 
"I  wish  it  had  been  longer  —  but  you  missed  a 
good  deal  of  it." 

"  Yes,"  he  explained.  "  I  did  n't  get  away  from 
the  debate  till  after  six  o'clock." 

"The  debate!"  she  echoed,  fixing  him  with  an 
interested  gaze.  "  I  had  forgotten  that  this  was  the 
evening.  Tell  me  about  it.  Did  your  tentative  ef- 
forts with  Mr.  Emmet  bear  any  fruit,  after  all  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head,  smiling.  "  It  was  an  extraor- 
dinary spectacle,"  he  mused.  "The  pit  and  the  bal- 
conies, the  aisles,  the  space  at  the  back,  and  the 
-+  171  ■»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

stairs  down  to  the  sidewalk  were  filled  with  labour- 
ers, packed  close  together,  their  dinner-pails  in  their 
hands  and  their  pipes  in  their  mouths.  You  could 
have  cut  the  air  with  a  knife  into  chunks  of  tobacco 
smoke." 

"  And  how  did  he  seem?  "  she  asked. 

"You  have  good  reason  to  be  proud  of  your 
protege,  Miss  Wycliffe,"  he  answered,  kindling 
with  generous  enthusiasm.  "  Emmet  outclassed  his 
opponent  completely  —  in  style,  in  delivery,  in 
subject-matter,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  in  the  jus- 
tice of  his  cause.  I  was  so  amazed  and  impressed 
that  I  carried  the  atmosphere  of  the  thing  with  me 
until  —  until  I  dropped  into  the  chair  beside  you, 
and  then  I  forgot  all  about  it." 

She  moved  uneasily  and  toyed  with  the  flowers  in 
her  lap,  then  glanced  up  at  him,  but  not  with  the 
glance  of  a  woman  who  is  ready  to  listen  to  a  decla- 
ration of  love.  His  next  words  were  determined  by 
that  look,  and  there  was  no  little  self-renunciation 
in  his  pursuance  of  a  subject  he  would  fain  have 
dropped  for  one  nearer  his  heart.  He  had  to  re- 
mind himself  once  more  of  the  shortness  of  their 
acquaintance,  and  of  her  natural  curiosity  concern- 
ing one  of  the  crises  in  a  struggle  which  had  inter- 
ested her  so  keenly. 

uIt  only  shows  how  far  one's  judgments  fall 
below  the  mark  sometimes,"  he  went  on.  "  Not  till 
this  afternoon  did  I  get  a  true  perspective  of  the 
~+  172  •*- 


HER    HEART 


man,  when  I  saw  him  standing  there,  perfectly  self- 
possessed  and  powerful,  reading  his  speech  "  — 

"  Reading  !  "  she  interrupted. 

"  Yes,  reading,  and  actually  gaining  in  effective- 
ness by  doing  so.  It  seems  that  each  speaker  was 
allowed  only  twenty  minutes,  and  rather  than  run 
the  risk  of  going  off  on  a  tangent,  he  had  written 
the  whole  thing  out  —  but  he  knew  it  practically  by 
heart." 

"  It  was  like  him,"  she  commented.  "  He 's  clever. 
But  what  did  he  say?" 

Her  eager  interest,  her  knowledge  of  the  man,  the 
compliment  she  paid  him,  filled  Leigh  with  bitter- 
ness of  which  he  was  ashamed.  He  found  himself 
under  the  necessity  of  describing  to  the  woman  he 
loved  the  triumph  of  another  man,  who  had,  as  he 
now  saw  clearly,  appealed  to  her  imagination.  To 
be  sure,  it  was  nothing  more  than  that,  but  as  far 
as  it  went,  it  hurt  his  own  cause  to  play  the  role 
of  the  narrating  messenger.  He  was  focussing  her 
attention  upon  an  exciting  drama  in  which  he  had 
borne  the  inglorious  part  of  witness ;  but  he  was 
too  proud  a  man  to  be  ungenerous  in  his  comments, 
or  to  let  her  see  the  duality  of  his  mental  state. 

"  His  speech  was  a  frank  setting  off  of  the  masses 
against  the  classes,"  he  returned.  "He  said  the 
same  things  I  had  heard  him  say  in  conversation, 
only  with  more  pith  and  point.  Emmet  has  the 
Irish  gift  of  expression  when  he 's  aroused  —  there 's 
-+  173  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

no  doubt  of  it.  He  practically  took  for  his  text : 
The  Man  in  the  One-storied  House  against  the  Man 
in  the  Mansion.  One  thing  struck  me  as  especially 
keen.  His  opponents  have  been  claiming  that  the 
city  is  a  great  business  corporation,  in  which  the  cit- 
izens are  stockholders  and  the  officials  directors; 
but  Emmet  pointed  out  the  fact  that  in  a  stock 
company  a  man  is  entitled  to  as  many  votes  as  he 
has  shares,  while  in  a  municipal  corporation  the  in- 
dividual, not  the  stock  he  possesses,  is  the  unit.  He 
made  a  good  point  there  in  maintaining  that  the 
corner-stone  of  democracy  is  manhood  suffrage,  not 
property  suffrage.  He  tore  apaft-t  that  apparently 
reasonable  comparison,  and  showed  beneath  it  an 
attempt  to  rob  the  poor  man  of  his  rights." 

She  nodded  her  appreciation.  "It  was  a  good 
point,  but  I  don't  agree  with  him,  nevertheless. 
Property-holders  ought  to  have  more  to  say  in  the 
management  of  a  city  than  those  who  have  nothing 
at  stake.  If  I  had  my  way,  I  would  confine  man- 
hood suffrage  to  state  and  national  elections." 

Leigh  was  struck  by  these  words  into  silence. 
For  the  first  time  she  had  made  him  realise  that 
she  was  a  rich  woman,  though  he  had  heard  from 
Cardington  that  the  bishop  merely  held  his  wife's 
large  property  in  trust  for  the  daughter.  Now  he 
detected  in  her  a  shrewd  and  practical  strain,  per- 
haps an  inheritance  from  some  ancestor  who  had  laid 
the  foundations  of  her  fortune.  He  saw  also  that 
■4  174  *~ 


HER    HEART 


her  revolt  against  the  moribund  spirituality  of  the 
wealthy  class  to  which  she  belonged  was  offset  by  a 
consciousness  of  possession,  so  that  she  could  sup- 
port Emmet  one  moment  and  condemn  his  theories 
the  next.  On  one  side  of  their  natures,  Leigh  and 
Miss  Wycliffe  touched  in  sympathetic  understand- 
ing; on  the  other,  they  were  as  far  apart  as  the 
poles.  No  poor  man,  however  civilised  he  may  be, 
can  range  himself  on  the  side  of  wealth,  unless  he 
is  either  a  fortune  hunter  or  a  sycophant,  and  Leigh 
was  neither.  At  the  present  moment  he  merely  felt, 
with  a  sinking  of  spirit,  the  existence  of  an  artificial 
barrier  between  them  of  which  he  had  previously 
been  but  dimly  conscious. 

"I'm  something  of  a  socialist  myself,"  he  said, 
"  only,  I  'm  waiting  for  a  great  leader  and  a  reason- 
able propaganda." 

"You'll  never  find  either,"  she  retorted  with 
spirit.  Then  her  face  softened  into  the  expression 
of  a  listener  to  a  good  story.  "  But  don't  let  us 
discuss  these  endless  and  stupid  questions.  What 
I  want  is  the  personal  and  spectacular  side  of  it. 
How  did  the  two  men  compare?  And  with  which 
of  them  did  the  people  side  ?  " 

"  With  their  own  representative,  naturally.  I  was 
impressed  with  the  tenseness  of  the  feeling.  The 
audience  cheered  Emmet  until  he  had  to  remind 
them  that  they  were  cutting  into  his  twenty-minute 
allowance.  Then  they  kept  silent,  but  more  like 
-h  175  •*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

animals  held  in  leash,  I  thought,  and  I  could  n't 
help  wondering  what  would  happen  if  the  cork 
should  suddenly  pop  off  and  let  out  all  that  bottled 
sense  of  ill  usage.  When  Judge  Swigart  got  up,  he 
didn't  mend  matters  by  referring  continually  to 
Emmet  as  his  '  distinguished  antagonist/  in  a  tone 
that  suggested  irony  rather  than  respect.  He  said 
he  was  pained  and  astonished  to  hear  Mr.  Emmet 
declare  that  there  was  class  feeling  in  Warwick ;  he 
himself  had  never  detected  any ;  he  objected  to  the 
setting  off  of  aristocrat  against  democrat,  when  all 
were  democratic ;  he  denied  that  the  city  was  run 
by  a  clique." 

"  Really,"  Miss  Wycliffe  remarked,  laughing,  "  he 
couldn't  expect  them  to  swallow  that.  Of  course 
Warwick  is  run  by  a  clique — it  always  has  been  — 
and  I  'd  like  to  see  them  turned  out  for  once." 

Leigh  was  no  longer  astonished  at  the  sudden 
swinging  of  the  pendulum.  "  They  did  n't  swallow 
it,"  he  said  grimly,  "  and  it  took  Emmet's  personal 
appeal  for  fair  play  to  make  them  stop  their  hissing 
and  catcalls.  I  thought  there  'd  be  a  riot  at  one 
time,  but  instead,  the  men  began  to  get  up  and  walk 
out,  leaving  Swigart  talking  to  their  backs.  I  was 
swept  along  with  the  crowd,  and  that  was  the  last  I 
saw  or  heard." 

He  caught  the  flash  of  her  eyes  at  the  vivid  pic- 
ture he  had  drawn,  and  could  no  longer  conceal  his 
bitterness.  "When  I  saw  Emmet  standing  there, 
■h-  176  *- 


HER    HEART 


whipping  up  the  mob  and  then  holding  it  in  check, 
and  thought  of  his  scanty  schooling,  I  felt  the 
handicap  of  professorial  pursuits  "  — 

"  Oh,  eloquence !  "  she  interrupted,  with  a  quick 
and  tactful  understanding  of  his  hurt.  "  There 's 
nothing  easier  in  the  world,  if  you  only  have  the 
knack.  I  think  I  may  say  so,  as  the  daughter  of  a 
bishop.  Mr.  Emmet  moved  them  merely  because  he 
voiced  their  own  hatreds  and  prejudices  in  a  clear 
and  convincing  way,  not  that  he  said  anything  so 
very  remarkable."  There  was  undisguised  scorn  in 
her  tone,  and  he  understood  that  this  was  the  heiress 
speaking.  "  A  trumpet  makes  more  noise  of  a  cer- 
tain kind  than  a  telescope,"  she  went  on,  "  and  the 
noise  is  what  the  people  like.  Have  you  ever  read 
'  Numa  Roumestan  '  ?  At  the  risk  of  preventing 
you  from  doing  so,  I  must  recommend  it." 

She  lifted  the  flowers  as  if  to  throw  them  away, 
preparatory  to  a  return  to  the  house,  but  he  defeated 
her  intention  by  deftly  reaching  forward  and  taking 
them  from  her  hand. 

"You  must  allow  me  to  save  them,  Miss  Wyc- 
liffe,"  he  explained,  in  answer  to  the  quick  inquiry 
of  her  sidelong  glance.  "  Let  me  indulge  a  roman- 
tic impulse  to-night,  though  we  have  had  such 
an  interesting  conversation  on  other  matters."  He 
thrust  the  lilies  of  the  valley  into  an  inside  pocket 
of  his  coat,  and  sat  looking  at  her  with  a  speculative 
sadness  that  made  a  light  or  flippant  comment  on 
-H-  177  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

her  part  impossible.  She  said  nothing,  though  her 
poise  conveyed  the  suggestion  of  intended  flight. 
She  doubtless  appreciated  the  fact  that  this  was 
what  she  might  have  anticipated,  that  she  could  not 
lead  a  young  man  who  was  in  love  with  her  to  such 
a  place  without  this  result.  Her  purpose  in  so  doing 
was  best  known  to  herself.  In  his  mind  there  was 
evidently  a  doubt  whether  it  was  wanton  cruelty,  or 
a  desire  for  information  concerning  her  protege. 
He  began  to  wonder,  in  view  of  the  persistence  of 
her  interest  in  Emmet,  whether  she  had  not  divined 
the  cause  of  his  late  arrival  from  the  first. 

"  When  I  first  came  in,"  he  continued,  "  and 
Littleford  thrust  me  into  a  chair  beside  you,  I 
caught  the  scent  of  these  lilies  before  I  knew  they 
were  in  your  hands.  It  was  something  like  an  expe- 
rience that  befell  one  of  my  ancestors  as  he  ap- 
proached America  after  a  two  months'  voyage  in 
a  sailing  vessel.  They  were  nearing  Virginia  one 
night  in  May,  and  a  land  breeze  blew  the  fragrance 
of  flowers  to  them  across  the  water  before  they  saw 
the  shore.  On  desperate  seas  long  wont  to  roam  — 
You  know  the  verse  ?  " 

She  rose  hurriedly  to  her  feet,  distressed,  perhaps 
repentant.  "  You  must  not,"  she  protested  in  a  low 
voice.    "  You  must  not." 

"  There  is  some  reason  why  I  must  not  ? "  he 
questioned,  confronting  her  with  paling  face.  She 
nodded  a  confirmation  of  his  fear.  "  Then  I  must 
-+  178  -i- 


HER    HEART 


ask  just  one  question  more,"  he  persisted  miserably. 
"  Suppose  the  reason  did  not  exist  —  I  don't  ask 
you  to  tell  me  now  what  it  is  —  but  suppose  there 
were  no  reason.  Would  you  forbid  me  to  love  you 
then?" 

For  a  moment  she  did  not  reply,  and  he  watched 
her  face  as  one  who  would  read  an  enigmatical  page 
from  the  book  of  fate.  The  question  demanded  an 
answer,  a  definite  reply,  which  she  was  not  prepared 
to  give.  He  saw  dawning  in  her  eyes  a  recognition 
of  him  in  a  new  light ;  it  was  as  if  she  now  contem- 
plated the  possibility  she  had  rejected.  In  this  atti- 
tude of  mind,  as  in  nothing  else,  the  bishop's  cold 
and  calculating  nature  disclosed  itself  in  the  daugh- 
ter, and  Leigh  divined  that  she  did  not  wish  to  love 
him,  though  she  allowed  herself  to  desire  the  tribute 
of  his  love.  It  was  this  desire  that  enabled  her  to 
enjoy  the  situation,  to  convey  to  him  a  denial  that 
was  not  absolute.  She  might  withdraw  herself, — 
she  had  said  that  she  must,  —  yet  something  might 
remain,  something  more  than  friendship,  less  than 
the  claims  of  an  acknowledged  love. 

"If  the  reason  did  not  exist,"  she  repeated 
slowly,  "  then  —  perhaps." 

He  heard  the  words  with  a  gesture  of  acquies- 
cence, and  followed  her  in  silence  down  the  aisle  in 
the  direction  of  the  house,  wondering  why  he  did  not 
stop  her  before  it  was  too  late  and  ask  her  whether 
he  had  heard  aright,  why  he  had  not  kissed  her  when 
-+  179  -»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

he  could  have  done  it  so  easily,  and  thereby,  per- 
haps, have  shaken  her  allegiance  to  some  other 
claim.  For  his  intuition  told  him  that  though  he  was 
not  her  acknowledged  lover,  he  was  by  no  means  a 
mere  friend.  It  was  this  assurance  that  gave  him 
hope,  and  there  was  comfort  in  the  thought  that  he 
had  not  lost  all  by  daring  too  much. 

About  two  hours  later,  Leigh  descended  from  the 
billiard-room,  where  he  had  been  playing  an  inat- 
tentive and  indifferent  game  with  one  of  his  col- 
leagues, and  encountered  Bishop  Wycliffe  coming 
into  the  hall  from  the  library  in  company  with  his 
host  and  Anthony  Cobbens.  The  major  part  of  the 
company  had  already  gone,  leaving  a  few  elderly 
talkers  in  various  corners,  and  a  group  of  young 
people  dancing  in  the  ballroom,  which  had  been 
cleared  after  the  lecture  for  that  purpose. 

"Ah,  Littleford,"  the  bishop  was  saying,  "these 
entertainments  of  yours  are  entirely  delightful.  You 
give  every  one  the  particular  thing  he  wants  and 
send  him  away  contented :  to  the  artistic  a  glimpse 
of  Velasquez;  to  the  young,  a  turn  of  the  ( light  fan- 
tastic toe ; '  to  me,  one  of  your  good  cigars  and  a 
quiet  chat  in  the  corner  about  old  times.  But  have 
you  seen  Felicity?" 

Littleford,  a  comfortable-looking  man,  with  a  fresh 

colour,  a  yellow  beard,  and  a  general  air  of  good 

living  and   goodfellowship  about   him,  hurried  off 

to  the   ballroomt  to   inquire.    Meanwhile,  Cobbens 

-+  180  +- 


HER    HEART 


helped  the  bishop  into  his  coat  with  the  solicitous 
attention  due  a  swell  official  of  the  Church,  who 
was  at  the  same  time  the  father  of  Felicity  Wycliffe. 
Leigh,  performing  the  same  operation  for  himself, 
was  chatting  with  the  other  two,  when  Littleford 
returned  to  say  that  his  search  had  been  in  vajn. 

"She  probably  went  home  with  Mrs.  Parr,"  the 
bishop  commented.  "  They  came  together,  I  believe.' ' 

"Mrs.  Parr  is  still  here,"  Littleford  said,  "and 
complaining  that  Miss  Wycliffe  has  deserted  her." 

The  bishop's  residence  was  only  about  a  block 
away,  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  and  Leigh  saw 
that  Littleford's  information  caused  no  particular 
concern.  Seeking  significance  in  everything  she  did, 
he  wondered  whether  her  early  withdrawal  contained 
any  element  of  hope  for  himself,  or  whether  she  were 
ill.  As  he  recalled  the  suppressed  excitement  of 
her  manner,  he  feared  that  this  latter  conjecture 
might  be  the  true  one,  and  his  heart  contracted  with 
anxiety.  The  three  men  descended  the  broad  steps 
together,  the  bishop  remarking  upon  the  lateness  of 
the  season  and  the  clemency  of  the  air.  When  they 
reached  the  street,  he  turned  with  Cobbens  in  the 
direction  of  his  house,  with  an  absent-minded  though 
courteous  good-night. 

Though  the  leaves  of  the  elms  had  now  in  a  large 
measure  left  the  branches,  the  suggestion  of  a  cathe- 
dral nave  was  still  presented  to  the  mind.  The  equi- 
distant trunks  were,  as  formerly,  the  supporting 
^  181  -«- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

pillars,  but  the  vista  had  suffered  a  mournful  change, 
as  if  the  roof  had  suddenly  been  blown  away,  leav- 
ing the  springing  ribs  a  black  tracery  against  the 
autumnal  sky.  This  ruinous  work  of  the  frost  was 
strangely  offset  by  the  soft  witchery  of  the  breeze, 
which  seemed  either  a  reminiscence  of  the  spring 
that  was  past,  or  a  promise  of  the  spring  to  come. 
Leigh's  thoughts  took  a  turn  in  harmony  with  this 
influence.  He  began  to  readjust  his  first  concep- 
tion of  Miss  Wycliffe,  —  she  was  now  Felicity  in  his 
unspoken  meditations,  —  and  to  realise  that  she  wras 
not  like  a  Russian  noblewoman,  ready  to  sacrifice  all 
for  socialism,  as  he  had  at  first  conceived  her.  Had 
she  continued  to  be  such  a  magnificent  and  heroic 
creature,  he  would  have  loved  her  less.  She  gained 
infinitely  more  than  she  lost  by  this  more  intimate 
view.  She  was  no  longer  a  possible  reformer  and  a 
subject  for  the  historian,  but  a  woman  pure  and 
simple,  with  all  a  woman's  alluring  inconsistencies. 
Immersed  in  this  new  conception,  he  was  startled 
by  a  voice  and  hurrying  step  behind  him,  and  turned 
to  meet  Cardington's  outstretched  hand  and  the 
hospitable  offer  of  a  cigar.  As  they  went  on  to- 
gether, his  colleague  commented  in  his  voluminous 
way  upon  the  evening  they  had  just  spent,  and  be- 
fore long,  with  Velasquez  as  a  starting-point,  he  had 
launched  upon  a  compendious  history  of  Spain,  inter- 
spersed with  anecdotes  of  his  own  travels  in  that 
romantic  land. 

-+  182  4- 


HER    HEART 


In  this  way  they  had  almost  reached  the  end  o£ 
the  rows  of  elms,  when  they  saw  before  them  a  man 
and  woman  walking  with  the  slow  and  tentative 
steps  of  those  absorbed  in  deep  personal  conversa- 
tion. At  their  nearer  approach  the  woman  turned 
quickly  for  a  moment,  said  something  in  a  low  voice, 
and  then  the  two  hurried  abruptly  down  a  side  street, 
whose  thicker  shadows  offered  a  screen  from  further 
observation.  Leigh,  listening  but  inattentively  to  his 
companion's  disquisition  and  meditating  still  of  Feli- 
city, gave  the  couple  only  a  fleeting  glance,  thinking, 
if  he  thought  of  them  at  all,  that  they  were  a  maid 
from  one  of  the  neighbouring  houses  and  her  lover. 

The  next  moment  he  realised  that  he  had  heard 
the  intonation  of  Miss  Wycliffe's  voice,  or  had  ima- 
gined it.  He  would  doubtless  have  thought  it  mere 
imagination,  some  accidental  resemblance  to  which 
his  ear  had  given  identity,  had  not  Cardington's 
manner  registered  a  sudden  emotional  disturbance. 
He  paused  in  his  narration,  like  one  smitten  with 
mental  atrophy  and  searching  for  the  word  that  was 
about  to  reach  his  lips.  His  position  on  the  inside 
of  the  walk  offered  a  barrier  between  Leigh  and  the 
retreating  couple,  and  he  gave  a  curious  impression 
of  maintaining  that  position  carefully  as  they  passed 
the  street.  Then  he  resumed  his  story  with  some- 
thing of  accentuated  intensity.  Neither  made  the 
slightest  comment  on  the  incident. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  X 


MISTRESS   AND   MAID 


MlSS  FELICITY;'  said  Cardington,  standing  be- 
fore her  with  a  humorous  suggestion  in  his  manner  of 
presenting  arms  to  a  superior  officer,  "  I  have  come 
to  perform  what  is  both  a  duty  and  a  pleasure ;  I  have 
come,  in  short,  to  —  pay  my  bet/'  With  these  words 
he  carefully  laid  a  box  of  candy  upon  the  table. 

"  You  have  my  sympathy,  Mr.  Cardington,"  she 
returned,  "  not  so  much  because  you  have  lost  the 
bet,  as  because  you  were  under  the  necessity  of  end- 
ing your  sentence  with  such  an  insignificant  word. 
I  saw  that  you  were  groping  for  a  polysyllabic  fin- 
ish." She  was  in  the  best  of  spirits,  and  prepared 
for  the  exchange  of  quibbles  in  which  they  some- 
times indulged. 

"  But  my  finish  is  best  expressed  by  just  that 
abrupt  and  insignificant  monosyllable ! "  he  cried, 
his  solemnity  swept  away  by  a  mood  of  extravagant 
banter.  "  Now,  you  know,  since  we  have  fleeted  a 
professional  baseball  player  to  the  mayor's  office, 
I  foresee  great  possibilities  unfolding  in  municipal 
affairs.  I  rather  anticipate  that  the  city  fathers 
will  seek  recreation  from  their  arduous  labours  by 
-i-  184  •»- 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

indulging  in  an  occasional  game  of  ball  in  the  park. 
I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  applauding  our  re- 
spected mayor  as  he  walks  up  to  the  plate  as  of  yore 
and  knocks  out  a  home  run.  Not  a  bad  idea,  bishop, 
is  it?"  For  Bishop  Wycliffe  had  entered  the  room 
quietly  and  stood  behind  his  daughter,  listening  to 
the  speech  with  a  wide,  appreciative  smile. 

"  It  is  extremely  probable,"  he  now  answered. 
u  I  shall  be  surprised  if  some  such  innovation  is  not 
introduced.  And  why  not?  Tempora  mutantur, 
my  friend.  We  have  a  President  who  so  far  forgets 
the  traditions  of  his  office  as  to  beguile  his  spare 
moments  by  whacking  the  heads  of  his  friends  in  a 
game  of  singlestick.  Why  not  a  mayor  who  plays 
baseball  in  the  park  ?  What  an  old  fogy  you  are, 
Cardington  ! " 

"  Old !  "  Cardington  echoed  ruefully.  "  My  dear 
bishop !  And  you  baptised  my  infant  head  after 
you  came  to  your  Episcopal  office  !  " 

"  Ah,  but  I  was  young  then,"  the  bishop  re- 
torted, "  or  I  should  never  have  assumed  that 
responsibility." 

They  were  still  laughing  at  this  sally  when  the 
maid  appeared  in  the  door  to  announce  that  dinner 
was  served.  Seeing  a  late  caller,  she  hesitated,  and 
Cardington  broke  in. 

"  I  must  go  now,"  he  announced.  "  Remember, 
Miss  Felicity,  not  to  overdo  the  matter  of  eating 
sweetmeats.  There  would  be  a  certain  unnecessary 
-*  185  ♦- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

redundancy  in  such  an  indulgence,  a  carrying  of 
coals  to  Newcastle,  so  to  speak." 

"  No,  you  must  stay  to  dinner,"  she  urged,  "  and 
afterward  smoke  one  of  father's  cigars  to  solace  you 
for  the  loss  of  the  box  you  might  have  had  if  the 
election  had  gone  the  other  way." 

"Might  have  had!"  he  retorted.  "You  mean 
would  have  had.  I  hope  there  was  no  doubt  of  your 
intention  to  pay  your  honest  debts." 

"Come,"  the  bishop  interrupted,  taking  him  by 
the  arm  and  marching  him  away,  "  enough  of  these 
quibbles.    You  must  stay,  of  course." 

"  But  this  is  the  irony  of  fate,"  he  continued,  glan- 
cing back  fondly  at  his  daughter,  "  that  in  spite  of 
all  my  preaching,  I  have  not  been  able  to  convince 
the  one  nearest  me  of  the  iniquity  of  gambling." 

"  I  am  reminded  of  that  historic  occasion,"  Car- 
dington  answered,  "  when  you  preached  a  sermon 
against  the  putting  on  of  apparel  and  the  plaiting 
of  the  hair,  and  extolled  the  inward  adornment  of 
a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  quoting  St.  Peter  and  Ter- 
tullian  with  singular  effect  "  — 

"  But  how  was  I  to  know,"  Miss  Wycliffe  put  in, 
"  that  the  return  of  that  sermon  from  the  bottom  of 
the  barrel  would  coincide  with  the  appearance  of  my 
new  hat?" 

"It  was  just  that  lack  of  cooperation  between 
you  and  your  right  reverend  father  which  scandal- 
ised the  congregation,"  Cardington  commented. 
-+  186  *- 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  hat/'  she  mused  regretfully. 
"  Every  one  admired  it." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  bishop.  " '  And  a  man's 
foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household.' ' 

Strange  to  say,  this  quotation,  so  lightly  uttered, 
was  destined  to  strike  the  keynote  of  the  dinner. 
The  subject  of  the  mayor-elect  was  too  vividly  pre- 
sent in  the  minds  of  all  three  to  be  long  absent 
from  their  conversation,  and  a  discussion  inevita- 
bly followed  a  reminder  from  Cardington  that  this 
was  the  evening  in  which  the  people  were  to  cele- 
brate their  victory  by  a  procession.  Miss  Wycliffe 
jestingly  proposed  an  illumination  of  the  house; 
but  her  father's  patience  with  her  perversity  was 
exhausted.  Doubtless  the  triumph  of  the  cause  he 
hated  intensified  his  emotion.  Had  the  judge  been 
elected,  he  could  easily  have  been  magnanimous,  or 
could  have  twitted  her  with  good  humour.  But 
there  comes  a  time,  even  to  the  most  philosophical 
parent,  when  the  independent  judgment  of  a  child 
seems  a  personal  affront,  an  ingratitude  "  sharper 
than  a  serpent's  tooth."  He  loved  the  beautiful  old 
city  in  which  his  life  had  been  spent,  and  wished  to 
see  it  ruled  always  by  men  of  his  own  class.  To  him 
the  outcome  of  the  election  was  really  a  significant 
calamity,  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  aristo- 
cratic democracy  he  cherished.  Not  Lincoln,  the 
dissenter  and  man  of  the  people,  but  Washington, 
the  gentleman  and  Churchman,  was  his  ideal  of  an 
-+  187  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

American  statesman.  It  is  perhaps  not  too  much 
to  say  that  he  would  prefer  to  see  the  wheels  of 
government  falter  for  a  while  in  the  hands  of  an 
aristocrat  rather  than  to  see  them  turn  smoothly 
under  the  propelling  power  of  a  plebeian,  were  it  in 
his  suffrage  to  make  the  choice. 

"  An  illumination  of  the  house/'  he  echoed  bit- 
terly. "  We  might  put  some  flaming  hoops  out  in 
the  street,  so  that  the  clown  can  turn  a  somersault 
through  them  as  he  passes  by." 

The  taunt  was  greeted  by  Cardington  with  some- 
thing of  excessive  appreciation,  and  the  bishop, 
softened  by  his  success,  threw  back  his  head  and 
smiled  broadly  at  his  daughter,  regarding  her 
through  half-closed  eyes. 

It  was  evident  that  Miss  Wycliffe  did  not  relish 
the  absurd  picture  of  her  protege  thus  presented 
to  her  mind,  and  a  reply  in  kind  seemed  to  hover 
in  the  scornful  curves  of  her  lips;  but  she  was  a 
woman  of  finer  mettle  than  to  show  either  her  anger 
or  her  hurt. 

"  Mr.  Cardington,"  she  said  with  subtle  mockery, 
"  your  part  in  the  performance  is  plain  "  — 

She  broke  off,  attracted  by  the  unusual  manner 
of  the  maid,  whose  hand,  as  she  placed  a  plate  before 
her  mistress,  shook  violently,  so  that  she  overturned 
a  glass  of  wine.  Miss  Wycliffe  glanced  up,  sur- 
prised at  this  awkwardness  in  one  usually  so  adroit, 
and  pushed  back  her  chair  to  avoid  the  crimson 
-+  188  h- 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

stain  that  was  slowly  spreading  toward  the  edge  of 
the  table.  Unconsciously  all  three  suspended  their 
conversation  to  watch  the  simple  operation  of  put- 
ting salt  upon  the  cloth.  Cardington,  turning  his 
eyes  toward  his  hostess  with  an  anticipatory  relish 
for  the  rest  of  her  sentence,  was  suddenly  struck  by 
an  inexplicable  change.  Her  face  had  become  white 
in  a  moment,  and  she  was  regarding  the  maid's 
trembling  hands  with  curious  intensity. 

"  You  were  saying,  Miss  Felicity," — he  reminded 
her. 

"What  was  it?"  she  asked,  recovering  herself 
with  an  effort.  "  Oh,  yes.  I  was  about  to  suggest 
that  your  height  marks  you  out  as  the  proper  per- 
son to  hold  up  the  hoops." 

"  Agreed  !  "  he  cried.  "  If  you  will  stand  by  and 
hand  them  up." 

This  raillery  was  only  a  passing  incident,  for  Miss 
Wycliffe's  mood  had  suffered  a  permanent  eclipse. 
The  bishop  returned  more  reasonably  and  with  per- 
fect seriousness  to  the  subject  of  the  election,  and 
finally  launched  upon  a  long  diatribe  after  the  Pla- 
tonic fashion,  with  the  professor  as  a  sympathetic 
interlocutor.  His  daughter  refrained  from  combat- 
ting him  openly,  but  he  divined  and  resented  her 
unexpressed  opposition.  Her  attitude  was  one  of 
finality ;  her  silence  indicated  an  indifference  to  his 
opinions  more  exasperating  than  words.  It  was  the 
young  astronomer,  he  reflected,  who  had  helped  to 
-h  189  * 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

crystallise  her  strange  views.  His  lurking  fear  that 
she  might  one  day  marry  and  leave  him  was  aroused 
at  the  thought,  and  his  heart  contracted  with  jeal- 
ousy. She  possessed  in  his  eyes' something  of  the 
sanctity  of  a  vestal  virgin,  one  who  must  not  be  pro- 
faned by  marriage.  In  such  an  event,  also,  his  cher- 
ished hope  that  she  might  complete  the  quadrangle 
of  St.  George's  Hall  was  likely  to  be  frustrated  for- 
ever. These  fears  moved  him  to  argue  with  a  bitter- 
ness that  served  only  to  defeat  his  purpose  the  more. 

Cardington's  participation  displayed  an  animus 
which  hitherto  had  been  absent  from  his  remarks 
upon  the  subject,  as  if  the  result  of  the  election  had 
stirred  him  deeply,  also. 

"I  have  heard,"  he  remarked,  "that  Emmet  would 
never  have  been  elected  if  it  had  n't  been  for  the 
support  of  Bat  What's-his-name  and  the  gang  that 
makes  his  saloon  a  rendezvous." 

Whether  this  insinuation  produced  some  effect 
upon  the  maid,  or  whether  the  nervousness  she  had 
exhibited  during  the  whole  evening  culminated  co- 
incidently,  none  present  could  know,  but  no  sooner 
had  the  words  left  his  lips  than  a  finger-bowl  which 
she  held  fell  from  her  hands  and  broke  in  a  hundred 
glittering  fragments  on  the  carpet.  At  this  second 
proof  of  incompetence  the  bishop  started  irritably, 
and  looked  at  her  without  a  word.  That  look  was 
sufficient.  A  professor  unexpectedly  roared  out 
upon  by  his  class,  a  clergyman  breaking  down  in  a 
-»-  190  •«- 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

sermon,  could  scarcely  have  experienced  a  keener 
sense  of  professional  failure  and  humiliation  than 
the  unfortunate  girl  knew  at  that  moment.  To  the 
bishop's  astonishment,  she  suddenly  raised  her  apron 
to  her  eyes  and  burst  into  tears. 

"  That  will  do,  Lena,"  Miss  Wycliffe  said  quietly. 
"  We  've  had  enough  excitement  for  one  evening. 
You  may  go ;  and  send  Mary  in  your  place." 

"What's  the  matter  with  the  girl?"  the  bishop 
asked,  when  the  door  had  closed  behind  her.  There 
was  an  odd  blending  of  annoyance  and  compassion 
in  his  tone. 

"Lena  hasn't  been  well,"  his  daughter  replied, 
"  for  some  days." 

"Then  let  her  rest  awhile,"  he  said;  "and  call 
the  doctor,  if  it 's  necessary."  The  incident  seemed 
to  distract  him  entirely  from  his  previous  thoughts. 
"  It  is  just  such  a  scene  as  this,"  he  continued,  "that 
reminds  one  of  the  hidden  tragedies  going  on  all  the 
time  in  the  lives  about  us.  Lena  is  usually  a  very  quiet 
and  skilful  girl,  and  it  has  been  a  pleasure  to  have 
her  about.  Perhaps  she's  going  through  some  love 
affair,  as  big  a  thing  in  her  existence  as  the  chief 
events  in  ours  are  to  us.  Girls  of  that  class  so  often 
acquire  a  certain  gentleness  and  breeding  from  as- 
sociation, and  then  marry  some  rough  coal-heaver  or 
mechanic.    It 's  a  pity  —  a  great  pity." 

"She's  pretty  enough  to  meet  a  King  Cophetua," 
Cardington  remarked  judicially. 
-H-  191  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

The  observation  was  directed  at  Miss  Wycliffe, 
and  was  an  effort  to  make  her  forget  the  conversation 
in  which  his  animus  had  led  him  to  transgress  even 
his  elastic  limits  with  her.  There  was  something 
almost  comical  in  the  concerned  expression  of  his 
light  blue  eyes,  no  longer  fierce,  as  he  gazed  at  her. 
But  she  met  this  dumb  appeal  coldly. 

"If  you  will  excuse  me,  father,"  she  said  presently, 
"  I  '11  go  up  to  Lena's  room,  and  see  whether  she 's 
really  ill." 

The  two  men,  left  alone,  drank  their  coffee,  and 
then  went  into  the  bishop's  study  to  smoke.  As  the 
door  remained  open,  Cardington  seated  himself  in  a 
chair  that  commanded  a  vista  of  the  drawing-room, 
and  lingered  on  in  the  hope  of  Felicity's  return,  until 
the  first  lights  of  Emmet's  triumphal  procession  be- 
gan to  flash  past  the  windows  from  the  street  beyond. 

"  Here  comes  the  Imperator  up  the  Via  Sacra  !  " 
he  commented,  rising.  "  I  must  go  out  and  see 
whether  he  has  a  slave  behind  him  to  whisper  in  his 
ear,  Memento  te  hominem  esse" 

But  it  would  appear  that  his  curiosity  concerning 
the  procession  was  short-lived,  for  when  he  reached 
the  scene,  he  plunged  contemptuously  between  the 
straggling  columns,  and  gained  the  further  curb. 
Then  he  turned  down  a  side  street,  without  one 
backward  look,  and  took  his  way  forlornly  toward 
St.  George's  Hall. 

The  bishop,  not  sorry  to  be  left  to  his  medita- 
-+  192  ** 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

tions,  had  made  no  effort  to  detain  his  visitor.  Now 
he  extended  his  hand  for  another  cigar,  changed 
his  mind,  and  sat  thinking.  Genuinely  indifferent 
to  the  procession  passing  by  with  torches  and  trans- 
parencies and  bands  of  music,  he  remained  with  his 
back  toward  the  windows,  his  head  sunk  upon  his 
breast.  He  was  steept  in  a  depressing  consciousness 
of  having  mismanaged  the  situation  with  his  daugh- 
ter, of  having  widened  the  breach  he  had  meant  to 
close.  His  tact  had  failed  him  because  his  affections 
and  interests  were  too  intimately  concerned,  much 
as  a  surgeon's  hand  might  falter  in  an  operation 
upon  one  of  his  own  family. 

What  was  the  meaning  of  this  strange  interest 
which  Felicity  had  taken  in  the  career  of  a  man  nor- 
mally beyond  the  radius  of  her  acquaintance  and 
sympathy?  At  first  it  had  seemed  a  jest,  then  a 
sentimental  charity  maintained  in  foolish  pride,  but 
only  recently  had  it  created  anything  approaching 
estrangement  between  them.  And  this  situation  was 
the  more  difficult  to  bear  because  of  their  long  in- 
tellectual and  artistic  companionship.  She  was  more 
to  him  than  a  son,  for  he  had  a  priestly  appreciation 
of  the  subtlety  of  women.  He  had  watched  her 
mind  unfold  in  foreign  travel,  little  dreaming  that 
this  experience  with  him  was  sowing  the  seeds  of 
discontent  with  her  narrow  environment  which  were 
now  beginning  to  bear  such  bitter  fruit.  Something 
of  a  celibate  by  nature,  he  loved  to  think  of  her  as 
-+  193  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

an  eternal  priestess,  who  would  consecrate  herself 
and  her  fortune  to  the  work  of  the  Church. 

Going  back  in  his  mind,  he  could  date  the  acute 
stage  of  the  present  situation  pretty  accurately  from 
the  inception  of  her  acquaintance  with  the  young 
professor  of  mathematics.  Leigh  had  disclosed  a 
certain  Western  democracy  that  first  evening,  and 
had  established  immediately  some  sort  of  under- 
standing with  his  hostess.  The  bishop  had  seen 
them  together  at  Littleford's  house,  and  had  drawn 
his  own  conclusions.  Divination  of  the  hidden  inter- 
ests and  emotions  of  others  was  one  of  his  gifts,  a  gift 
he  had  so  fostered  that  sometimes  his  moves  in  the 
intricate  game  of  life  were  like  strokes  of  genius. 
He  did  not  doubt  now  that  Leigh  was  in  love  with 
his  daughter,  and  for  the  first  time  he  was  seriously 
doubtful  of  her  attitude  toward  a  young  man. 
Proud  and  beautiful,  she  had  always  held  herself 
aloof,  with  something  of  fine  scorn,  from  the  frock- 
coated,  silk-hatted,  conventional  men  of  her  ac- 
quaintance, as  if  she  shared  her  father's  opinion  of 
her  worth,  as  if  she  secretly  sympathised  with  the 
plans  she  knew  he  cherished  concerning  the  comple- 
tion of  the  college  quadrangle.  Was  she  now  to  de- 
cline to  the  level  of  this  fortune  hunter,  this  crude 
young  Westerner? 

As  for  Cardington,  of  course  he  loved  her,  too ; 
but  the  bishop  knew  her  too  well  to  suppose  that 
the  professor  would  ever  captivate  her  imagination. 
-+  194  h- 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

He  had  always  been  within  her  horizon,  and  he 
served  the  useful  purpose,  from  the  bishop's  point 
of  view,  of  distracting  her  attention  from  more  for- 
midable aspirants. 

That  hour  of  reflection  resulted  in  at  least  one 
definite  resolve :  Leigh's  connection  with  the  college 
should  cease  at  the  expiration  of  the  year  for  which 
he  was  engaged.  Meanwhile,  the  bishop  might  need 
a  rest,  and  might  take  Felicity  with  him  to  Bermuda, 
leaving  the  affairs  of  the  diocese  in  the  hands  of  his 
coadjutor. 

Having  reached  this  conclusion,  he  became  aware 
of  the  fact  that  the  procession  had  long  since  passed, 
that  the  house  was  very  still,  and  that  Felicity  had 
evidently  retired  to  her  room  for  the  night.  He  got 
up  and  walked  aimlessly  out  into  the  drawing-room, 
where  the  lights  were  turned  low.  He  listened  at 
the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  thought  to  call  her,  but 
the  silence  seemed  ominous,  and  for  some  reason  he 
forbore.  Was  she  really  so  deeply  hurt  that  she 
would  not  return  and  bid  him  good-night?  They 
had  never  been  demonstrative,  but  neither  were  such 
affectionate  courtesies  ever  omitted  between  them. 
He  could  not  seek  her  now  and  demand  an  expla- 
nation. From  such  a  scene  he  shrank  instinctively. 
To-morrow  he  would  begin  on  a  new  tack.  He 
would  relegate  this  absurd  difference  of  opinion 
between  them  to  the  obscure  corner  it  deserved, 
where  he  trusted  it  would  soon  die  of  neglect.  It 
-+  195  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

was  indeed  fortunate  for  the  bishop's  rest  that  night 
that  his  conjecture  concerning  his  daughter's  state 
of  mind  fell  so  far  short  of  the  truth. 

When  Lena  Harpster  left  the  dining-room  at  her 
mistress's  command,  she  was  in  a  condition  border- 
ing upon  hysteria.  Her  burst  of  tears  expressed  the 
culmination  of  a  long  strain.  She  had  dared  to  dis- 
obey her  lover,  driven  to  desperation  by  the  increas- 
ing importunities  of  the  young  man  of  the  house  in 
which  she  served,  and  had  fled  to  Miss  Wycliffe  's  as 
to  a  refuge.  But  her  letter  of  explanation  to  Em- 
met had  remained  unanswered.  Was  it  not  her  love 
for  him  that  had  driven  her  to  disobey  ?  She  even 
refrained  from  signing  her  appeal  for  pardon,  as  a 
concession  to  his  desire  for  secrecy.  Either  he  was 
too  much  absorbed,  or  his  wrath  was  implacable,  and 
a  fortnight  had  passed  without  a  sign.  Would  he 
seize  this  pretext,  now  that  he  had  been  elected  mayor, 
to  cast  her  off  forever,  as  an  impediment  to  his  pro- 
gress in  the  world  ?  This  doubt  had  so  preyed  upon 
her  nerves  that  Miss  Wycliffe  was  not  far  from  the 
truth  when  she  explained  to  her  father  that  the 
maid  was  ill.  But  it  was  the  vilification  of  her  lover, 
to  which  she  was  forced  to  listen  in  silence,  that  had 
brought  her  emotions  to  a  disastrous  climax. 

Once  in  her  little  room,  she  threw  herself  upon 
the  bed  and  sobbed  without  restraint,  but  her  aban- 
donment to  grief  was  short.  She  arose  hastily  and 
bathed  her  eyes  in  cold  water,  moved  by  the  reflec- 
-•-  196  h~ 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

tion  that  tears  only  served  to  mar  her  beauty,  the 
sole  dower  she  possessed.  There  came  into  her 
mind  also  the  sudden  resolve  to  go  out  and  see  the 
parade.  She  would  stand  near  one  of  the  electric 
lights,  and  perhaps  her  lover  would  see  her  and  give 
some  sign,  a  smile,  a  wave  of  the  hand,  whose  sig- 
nificance would  be  known  to  them  alone. 

Fired  by  new  hope,  she  discarded  her  apron  and 
cap  and  donned  her  prettiest  skirt.  Then,  standing 
in  front  of  her  little  mirror,  she  applied  a  dash  of 
colour  to  her  pale  cheeks  with  a  few  deft  touches, 
spreading  it  into  an  appearance  of  nature  with  a  bit 
of  chamois  skin.  She  opened  the  bureau  drawer  and 
threw  a  white  silk  waist  upon  the  bed.  But  now  a 
perplexing  question  arose.  Which  riband  should  she 
wear  about  her  throat  ?  She  selected  two,  and  laid 
them  before  her  for  consideration.  This  one  she 
wore  when  he  first  kissed  her ;  but  the  new  one  was 
prettier.  Which  would  he  prefer  ?  Or  was  it  possi- 
ble that  he  would  not  see  her  at  all  in  the  crowd  ? 
While  these  thoughts  ran  through  her  mind,  she 
smoothed  her  eyebrows  with  her  pink  little  thumb, 
and  paused  to  reflect  that  she  would  like  to  have  a 
tiny  eyebrow  brush  with  an  ivory  handle,  such  an 
one  as  she  had  seen  among  the  toilet  articles  on  her 
mistress's  dressing-table.  'Then  she  glanced  at  the 
ring  on  her  finger  which  Emmet  had  given  her,  and 
for  a  while  she  forgot  everything  else,  fixed  in  con- 
templation. 

■h-  197  *■ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

The  ring  was  one  whose  peculiar  value  Lena  was 
far  from  realising :  a  Maltese  cross  of  old  gold,  set 
with  four  uncut  emeralds.  Seen  by  gaslight  the 
stones  lacked  brilliancy,  and  she  thought  the  ring 
itself  awkward  and  heavy.  From  the  first  she  had 
regarded  the  gift  superstitiously,  as  if  the  dull  green 
stones,  like  four  dull  eyes,  emitted  a  baleful  influ- 
ence. It  was  significant  of  her  utter  lack  of  religious 
associations  that  the  cross  itself  suggested  no  coun- 
ter charm.  Had  she  been  a  Catholic,  that  shape 
alone  would  have  made  the  ring  a  talisman,  but  her 
people  were  Congregationalists,  to  whom  religious 
symbols  were  anathema,  and  she  herself  had  seldom 
gone  to  church.  In  fact,  Lena  was  vaguely  disap- 
pointed in  the  ring,  and  even  ashamed  of  it.  If  her 
lover  were  as  rich  as  he  said,  why  had  he  not  bought 
her  a  diamond  ?  But  repentance  followed  hard  upon 
this  questioning.  The  ring  was  not  what  she  desired, 
but  it  was  a  pledge  of  his  love,  and  she  raised  it  to 
her  lips. 

She  was  in  this  attitude,  her  thin,  white  shoulders 
glimmering  bare,  a  graceful  and  nymph-like  figure, 
when  a  light  tap  at  the  door  froze  her  into  immobil- 
ity, and  then  she  saw  her  mistress's  face  reflected 
in  the  mirror.  With  a  little  cry  of  embarrassment, 
she  turned  and  leaned  against  the  bureau,  lifting 
one  hand  with  that  instinctive  gesture  which  Greek 
sculptors  have  immortalised  in  many  a  lovely  statue. 

"I  didn't  mean  to  frighten  you,  Lena,"  Miss 
-+  198  +- 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

Wycliffe  said  quietly,  when  she  had  shut  the  door 
carefully  behind  her  and  taken  a  chair.  "  I  thought 
you  might  be  ill,  and  came  to  see  whether  I  could 
do  anything  for  you." 

The  words  were  kind,  but  there  was  something  in 
the  speaker's  manner  that  was  less  assuring.  Her 
face  was  pale,  and  her  eyes  were  bright,  but  not 
with  compassion.  Confronting  each  other  thus, 
they  presented  a  striking  contrast.  The  mistress's 
dark,  rich  beauty  made  the  other's  prettiness  seem 
ephemeral,  without  reducing  it  to  the  level  of  the 
commonplace ;  for  Lena  was  not  common  as  servants 
are,  either  in  her  personality  or  in  the  atmosphere 
she  created  in  her  room.  Even  her  visitor,  absorbed 
as  she  was  in  her  own  purpose,  was  not  unconscious 
of  the  cleanliness  of  the  place,  of  the  artistic  aspi- 
ration represented  by  the  few  prints  on  the  walls. 

"  I  did  have  a  turn,  Miss  Wycliffe,"  Lena  stam- 
mered, "  but  I  feel  better  now.  I  thought,  perhaps, 
if  I  went  out  to  get  the  fresh  air  "  — 

»"And  saw  the  procession?"  her  mistress  sug- 
gested, with  a  curious  smile. 

Lena  nodded  guiltily,  and  a  flush  quickly  spread 
beyond  the  limits  of  colour  which  art  had  fixed  in 
her  cheeks. 

"  Perhaps  that  would  do  you  good,"  Miss  Wyc- 
liffe remarked.  Then,  with  a  penetrating  regard,  she 
added,  "  And  I  suspect  you  have  a  personal  interest 
in  the  parade,  Lena." 

-+  199  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Emmet/'  the  girl  confessed, 
as  if  she  could  not  resist  the  inquisition  of  the 
stronger  nature  confronting  her.  But  there  was 
pride,  too,  as  well  as  implication,  in  the  admission. 

"  Perhaps  it  was  Mr.  Emmet  who  gave  you  that 
odd  ring?"  Miss  Wycliffe  continued  relentlessly. 

"  Yes,"  in  a  voice  that  was  almost  a  whisper. 

"  And  you  regard  it  as  an  engagement  ring  ?  " 

"  He  did  n't  say  so  definitely,  Miss  Wycliffe.  He 
told  me  not  to  wear  it  yet,  and  I  did  n't  until  to- 
night. And  he  made  me  promise  not  to  tell  —  any- 
thing. You  will  keep  my  secret,  Miss  Wycliffe, 
until  —  until "  — 

"No,  child,  I  won't  tell,  but  I'm  sorry  to  say 
that  I  shall  have  to  deprive  you  of  the  ring,  as  it 
happens  to  be  one  of  my  own.  I  noticed  it  on  your 
hand  at  dinner,  and  while  I  was  sorry  to  think  of 
taking  it  back,  I  could  n't  help  feeling  that  a  for- 
tunate chance  had  restored  it  to  me." 

Lena  drooped  pitifully,  and  her  mistress  deigned 
to  explain  further,  though  her  tone  was  hard  and 
cold. 

"  If  the  ring  were  of  no  special  value,  I  should  n't 
mind,  but  it  belonged  in  the  family,  and  I  prized  it 
highly.  Undoubtedly  I  lost  it  in  the  car,  where  it 
was  found  by  Mr.  Emmet.  Let  me  see  it ;  I  'm  sure 
I  can't  be  mistaken." 

She  held  out  her  hand  imperiously,  and  resistance 
to  her  will  was  impossible.    At  that  moment  the 

-H    200    H~ 


MISTRESS    AND    MAID 

head  of  the  procession  could  be  seen  through  the 
trees,  and  the  sound  of  music  floated  up  to  the  little 
room.  Lena  held  the  ring  in  the  palm  of  her  hand, 
forgetting  that  she  had  ever  thought  it  less  than 
beautiful,  and  her  tears  began  to  drop  slowly.  Then 
she  surrendered  it  with  an  impulsive  movement, 
like  that  of  a  conquered  child.  Her  heart  failed  her. 
The  necessity  of  giving  up  the  ring  seemed  pro- 
phetic of  the  future ;  and  moreover  she  was  now  too 
late  to  see  him  pass. 

"  Yes,"  Miss  Wycliffe  said  coolly,  "  I  was  right. 
The  cutting  and  arrangement  of  the  stones  is  pecul- 
iar, and  there's  not  another  like  it  in  Warwick." 
She  arose  to  her  feet,  the  ring  gripped  in  her  hand 
till  the  edge  of  the  cross  almost  cut  her  tender  palm. 
"  And  one  thing  more,  Lena.  I  have  a  reason  for 
asking  it.    Do  you  love  Mr.  Emmet  ?  " 

There  was  no  need  to  answer,  and  indeed  the  girl 
could  not  utter  a  word,  so  intense  was  her  misery,  so 
overpowering  her  assurance  of  impending  disaster. 

"  And  do  you  suppose  he  loves  you,  just  because 
he  has  kissed  you  and  given  you  this  ring  which  he 
picked  up  in  the  car?  " 

There  was  still  no  answer,  and  the  next  words 
came  like  the  voice  of  fate. 

"  Well,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  tell  you  that  a  man  in 

his  position  can  only  be  amusing  himself  when  he 

pays  attention  to  a  girl  in  yours.    You  must  have 

nothing  more  to  do  with  him.    It 's  better  for  you 

-+  201  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

to  know  it  now,  and  to  have  done  with  this  infatu- 
ation, for  I  tell  you  plainly,  he  means  nothing  that 
an  honest  girl  can  accept." 

Left  alone,  Lena  tottered  as  if  she  would  have 
fallen ;  then  sank  upon  her  knees  and  crept  to  the 
window.  With  trembling  fingers  she  raised  the 
sash  and  let  in  the  cool  night  air  upon  her  bare  neck 
and  shoulders.  She  let  in  also  a  fuller  burst  of 
music  and  cheering,  and  through  her  tears  she  saw 
the  lights  dancing  wildly,  like  a  procession  of  fallen 
stars.  Somewhere  in  that  stream  of  splendour  and 
sound  he  sat  in  his  carriage,  proud  and  triumphant, 
and  with  no  thought  of  her. 

In  her  own  room  Miss  Wycliffe  stood  before  her 
mirror,  looking  now  at  the  white  reflection  of  her 
face,  and  now  at  the  recovered  ring  which  she  had 
tossed  upon  the  bureau,  while  in  her  splendid  eyes 
blazed  the  light  of  a  great  and  implacable  anger. 
For  the  man  who  was  at  that  moment  passing  by 
in  the  street,  who  had  taken  her  gift  and  bestowed 
it  upon  a  servant,  had  been  her  husband  for  more 
than  two  years. 


THE     OLD    CONTINENTAL 


CHAPTER  XI 


AT   THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

V-/NE  snowy  afternoon,  shortly  before  Christmas, 
Mayor  Emmet  came  out  to  his  sleigh  from  the  City 
Hall,  drawing  on  his  gloves  with  a  sense  of  release 
from  unaccustomed  confinement.  While  others  hur- 
ried along,  shrinking  into  their  coats  as  if  they 
would  withdraw  as  far  as  possible  from  the  nipping 
cold,  he  strode  slowly  and  breathed  deep,  showing  a 
strong  man's  conscious  enjoyment  of  Nature  in  one 
of  her  sterner  moods.  His  manner  displayed  a  con- 
sciousness of  something  else  also,  of  the  position  he 
meant  to  grace.  He  was  already  beginning  to  appre- 
ciate the  discomfiture  of  his  enemies.  They  had 
thought  to  find  him  bewildered  and  inefficient,  and 
had  encountered  instead  a  man  whose  conception  of 
his  rights  and  duties  was  just  and  adequate.  Strange 
also  to  superficial  thinkers  was  his  dignity  of  bearing, 
to  which  the  elite  of  Warwick  paid  the  compliment 
of  their  resentment.  But  that  ease  and  precision  of 
movement,  that  steady  glance  of  the  eye,  had  been 
transferred  from  the  baseball  field  to  become  singu- 
larly effective  in  the  mayor's  office. 

It  was  now  that  his  experience  as  a  conductor  also 
-+  203  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

yielded  its  harvest,  though  few  of  those  whose  money 
he  had  formerly  collected  realised  the  valuable  know- 
ledge they  had  given  him  of  human  nature's  more 
difficult  side.  They  had  unwittingly  taught  him  to 
control  his  temper  under  trying  circumstances,  to 
hear  much  and  say  little,  and  now  they  wondered  at 
the  success  of  their  teaching.  Even  his  language 
was  exasperatingly  correct.  They  might  claim  that 
his  speech  for  the  joint  debate  had  been  written  by 
another,  but  this  would  not  explain  the  excellent 
quality  of  his  ordinary  conversation;  and  it  never 
occurred  to  them  to  point  to  him  with  pride  as  a 
product  of  the  public  schools  for  which  their  city 
was  justly  famous. 

That  a  man  not  connected  with  one  of  the  old 
families,  not  possessed  of  a  baccalaureate  degree, 
should  really  be  effective  in  the  mayor's  chair  was 
such  an  unheard-of  presumption  that  they  denied 
the  fact.  Yet  they  could  not  claim  that  he  assumed 
excess  of  air.  His  lack  of  exuberance  was  so  marked, 
he  had  taken  hold  of  his  work  with  such  seriousness 
and  sobriety,  that  he  seemed  to  be  a  man  of  great 
coldness,  or  one  whose  sense  of  triumph  was  tem- 
pered by  a  secret  trouble. 

Those  whose  condemnation  was  not  altogether 
sweeping  found  the  phrase  "an  imitation  "  capable  of 
conveying  some  consolation.  He  was  like  a  wooden 
cigar,  a  lead  quarter;  in  short,  he  was  a  loaf  baked 
in  a  different  oven,  and  that  was  enough.  How 
-+  204  -H- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

could  a  man  that  wore  a  heavy  watch-chain  possess 
the  genuine  quality?  In  the  judgment  of  the  First 
Church,  that  chain  was  heavy  enough  to  bind  him 
hand  and  foot  and  to  sink  him  in  the  depths  of  the 
sea. 

But  criticisms  from  this  source  Emmet  accepted 
as  a  matter  of  course,  much  as  a  Republican  candidate 
for  the  Presidency  would  count  on  a  solid  Demo- 
cratic South.  A  more  serious  menace  to  his  future 
lay  in  the  attitude  of  some  of  his  own  supporters, 
who  supposed  that  the  mayor's  office  could  now  be 
their  lounging-place  and  headquarters.  Bat  Quayle, 
the  leader  of  a  strong  constituency  of  the  submerged 
tenth,  had  already  departed  breathing  vengeance, 
when  he  discovered  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
new  regime  for  the  Boys.  They  had  given  their 
votes  to  Emmet  in  the  confident  expectation  of 
special  privilege  and  protection  ;  but  he  had  made 
no  promises,  and  had  none  to  keep.  No  previous 
Democratic  mayor  of  Warwick  had  ever  been  able  to 
dispense  with  the  Boys,  and  it  remained  for  Emmet 
to  offset  their  loss  by  winning  new  supporters  during 
his  administration.  Bat  Quayle,  he  knew,  would  be 
picked  up  by  his  opponents  and  used  against  him  two 
years  hence ;  but  two  years  seemed  a  long  time,  and 
the  mayor  shook  out  the  lines  and  started  off  with 
a  burst  of  speed,  as  if  he  would  tumble  black  care 
into  the  snow  behind  him. 

The  street  was  like  a  vista  of  fairyland.  A  new 
-+  205  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

fall  of  snow  had  covered  all  unsightly  stains  of 
traffic,  and  now  lay  heaped  on  every  inch  of  hori- 
zontal space,  on  branch  and  roof  and  post,  on  win- 
dow-ledge and  fence.  The  sky  was  clearing,  and  the 
last  belated  flakes  were  floating  slowly  downward, 
detached  from  the  burdened  roofs  by  light  puffs  of 
wind.  To  one  glancing  upward,  the  feathery  visitors 
seemed  to  drop  from  the  widening  spaces  of  pale 
blue  sky.  The  ringing  sound  of  snow  shovels  and 
the  crisp  crunching  of  pedestrians'  feet  indicated  a 
falling  mercury.  The  air  was  filled  with  the  jocund 
jingling  of  sleighbells,  now  coming,  now  near  at 
hand,  now  lessening  into  the  distance,  a  pleasing 
confusion  of  silvery  sounds,  not  inharmonious  in 
their  varying  pitch  and  intensity. 

Emmet,  crouching  low  among  his  blankets,  drew 
his  cap  down  over  his  eyes  and  let  out  another  link 
of  speed.  At  last  he  was  free  to  take  up  the  problem 
that  occupied  his  leisure  moments.  His  wife  had 
gone  South  with  her  father  on  the  very  day  when  he 
had  expected  her  to  lift  the  veil  from  their  marriage, 
and  an  acknowledgement  of  the  justice  of  her  anger 
caused  him  to  keep  the  secret  still,  awaiting  her  deci- 
sion. He  could  count  the  times  they  had  met  during 
the  last  two  years  on  the  fingers  of  his  hands.  This 
relationship,  which  had  promised  so  much  at  its 
inception,  was  the  great  mystery  of  his  life,  and 
every  succeeding  month  it  became  more  unreal,  more 
inexplicable.  Now  he  went  back  in  his  mind  to  the 
-+  206  •»- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

time  when  the  bishop's  daughter  began  to  take  his 
car  rather  than  another,  and  conveyed  to  him  in 
some  subtle  way  the  impression  of  her  preference. 
By  little  and  little  he  had  played  the  dangerous 
game  that  made  such  an  appeal  to  his  vanity. 

The  poets  were  true  in  their  psychology  when 
they  pictured  the  distress  of  mortal  men  beloved 
of  goddesses:  Tithonus  and  Aurora,  Venus  and 
Adonis,  Diana  and  Endymion.  How  could  aught 
but  tragedy  result  from  such  loves  as  these?  How 
could  a  mortal  have  dared  to  lift  his  eyes  to  such  a 
height  unbidden?  The  gulf  between  Miss  Wycliffe, 
beautiful,  rich,  aristocratic,  and  Tom  Emmet,  the 
professional  baseball  player  and  street-car  conductor, 
was  to  his  mind  as  impassable.  It  was  she  who  had 
first  suggested  the  possibility  of  a  bridge  between 
them.  His  conception  of  her  mental  states  was  as 
dim  as  our  dreams  of  the  inhabitants  of  Mars.  Of 
her  ennui  in  that  life  which  seemed  to  him  all  light- 
ness and  pleasure,  of  the  romance  with  which  she 
invested  his  commonplace  days,  of  the  possibilities 
she  read  in  his  personality,  he  had  no  conception ; 
but  to  the  lingering  of  her  fingers  in  his  own,  to 
the  glance  of  her  eyes,  the  primitive  man  within  him 
made  response. 

Love   of   adventure   lured   him  on.    The  subtle 

courtship   progressed   apace,   and   if   any  of   Miss 

WyclinVs    friends    noted    her   growing    friendship 

with  the  conductor,  it  was  merely  to  praise  her  sweet 

-+  207  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

and  unassuming  humanity.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
of  increasing  intimacy,  marked  by  little  incidents 
which  no  lover  in  the  retrospect  can  ever  arrange 
in  their  proper  sequence,  the  night  of  his  marriage 
loomed  in  his  memory,  every  detail  ineradicable. 
Their  coincident  absence  from  Warwick  was  natu- 
rally unnoted ;  and  who,  in  all  the  range  of  human 
probabilities,  would  be  present  to  see  them  meet  at 
a  certain  day  and  hour  on  a  certain  street  corner  in 
New  York? 

Life  is  a  careless  maker  of  plots.  The  villain 
did  not  appear  to  shadow  them  to  the  obscure  old 
church,  to  lurk  in  the  darkening  pews  and  see  them 
married,  to  watch  their  exit  in  the  twilight  as  man 
and  wife,  to  observe  from  a  safe  distance  their  long 
talk  on  the  corner  of  the  street,  and,  most  inexplica- 
ble of  all,  to  see  her  call  a  passing  cab  and  drive 
away  in  evident  haste,  perhaps  in  sudden  alarm. 

Emmet  would  never  have  brooked  such  desertion 
from  a  woman  of  his  own  class,  but  the  ascendancy 
which  she  had  established  over  him  from  the  first 
was  not  materially  shaken  by  the  fact  that  she  was 
now  his  wife.  He  did  not  even  know  where  she 
passed  the  night,  while  he  walked  the  streets,  a 
deceived  and  baffled  bridegroom,  until  in  despera- 
tion he  took  the  midnight  train  and  arrived  home  at 
dawn,  too  weary  to  care  for  aught  but  sleep. 

When  they  met  again  in  Warwick,  she  resumed 
her  mysterious  power  of  direction  as  before,  and  his 
■h-  208  ■•- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

status  as  her  husband  gave  him  no  advantage  that 
he  dared  to  press.  He  accepted  the  secret  interviews 
she  granted,  and  learned  at  last  the  part  he  had  to 
play.  On  that  promissory  note  which  she  had  given 
him  at  the  altar  she  paid  the  instalment  of  a  few 
elusive  kisses,  and  he  discovered  to  his  dismay  that 
he  must  do  some  great  thing  to  make  himself  worthy 
of  her,  before  the  note  should  be  paid  in  full.  It 
was  she  who  had  seen  the  possibilities  of  his  con- 
nection with  a  union  and  of  his  interest  in  politics, 
and  had  suggested  the  career  he  was  to  follow.  His 
election  as  mayor  was  to  be  crowned  by  her  acknow- 
ledgement of  him  before  the  world.  This  was  the 
plan  in  which  he  had  acquiesced,  as  one  who  had 
only  to  obey  and  to  wait  humbly  for  his  reward. 

But  a  sense  of  power  developed  with  the  struggle. 
It  was  true  that  she  had  directed  his  feet  into  the 
right  path  ;  but  once  there,  he  began  to  feel  that  he 
would  have  found  it  unaided.  She  was  secret  with 
him,  giving  and  withholding  as  she  chose.  He  saw 
her  with  other  men,  and  his  strong  nature  rebelled. 
Should  she  be  free,  while  he  was  bound  ?  At  a  cer- 
tain meeting  he  presented  this  point  of  view,  but 
she  said  truly  enough  that  the  men  she  met  were 
nothing  to  her,  and  that  to  do  as  he  wished  would 
only  excite  surprise  and  suspicion.  She  would  fain 
play  the  part  of  Egeria  and  lay  down  the  law  to  him 
in  stolen  interviews  beyond  the  city.  But  Emmet 
had  never  heard  of  that  delightful  arrangement, 
-*  209  •¥- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

and  the  role  of  a  Numa  in  the  making  began  to  be 
intolerable  to  him.  When  they  met  again,  he  no 
longer  upbraided  her,  for  he  had  met  Lena  Harpster 
at  a  lodge  dance  in  the  interval,  and  in  the  culmi- 
nation of  a  reckless  mood,  he  had  taken  his  revenge. 
Only  a  consciousness  of  his  own  duplicity  saved 
Felicity  from  his  insistence  and  restored  her  power. 
Emmet  meant  that  the  affair  with  Lena  should 
go  no  further,  but  the  memory  of  the  kiss  she  had 
given  him  drew  him  back  at  last  and  he  sought  her 
out,  as  the  first  man  might  have  sought  again  the 
first  woman  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  after  an  ingen- 
uous shame  had  driven  them  asunder.  And  here- 
upon began  a  titanic  struggle  in  his  soul.  He  knew 
that  he  loved  his  wife  and  meant  to  be  true  to  her, 
but  Lena's  kisses  more  deeply  stirred  his  blood. 
She  was  wonderfully  pliant  to  his  will,  as  pliant 
in  reality  as  he  seemed  to  be  to  the  will  of  his 
wife.  For  longer  or  shorter  periods  he  neglected 
her,  only  to  come  back  again  to  find  her  more  help- 
less in  his  grasp,  himself  more  than  ever  fascinated 
by  his  power  over  her.  It  was  a  milestone  in  their 
nameless  relationship  when  he  feigned  jealousy  of 
her  other  admirers,  when  she  admitted  his  right 
to  question.  Then  came  the  night  when  she  had 
fainted  beside  him  in  the  half -finished  building,  and 
he  knew  that  the  jealousy  was  real.  After  that  wild 
moment  of  parting  at  the  gate,  he  resolved  to  see 
her  no  more.  The  prize  he  had  sought  so  long  was 
-+  210  +- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

almost  within  his  grasp,  —  the  mayoralty  and  a  wife 
who  would  make  that  office  but  a  stepping-stone  to 
something  higher,  —  and  he  would  not  forfeit  his 
reward.  He  meant  also,  as  he  had  meant  all  along, 
to  be  essentially  true  to  his  moral  obligations. 

The  pathos  of  Lena's  position  he  but  dimly  dis- 
cerned, and  his  cruelty  was  unconscious.  The  elec- 
tion almost  swept  her  from  his  mind,  and  the  note  in 
which  she  disclosed  her  refuge  in  his  wife's  house 
stirred  only  a  momentary  anxiety.  He  would  deny 
whatever  she  might  say,  and  he  felt  that  she  would 
quietly  acquiesce  in  her  fate  when  she  knew  the 
truth.  But  he  had  forgotten  the  ring,  and  the  ring 
was  his  undoing. 

At  the  very  moment  when  he  turned  his  sleigh 
into  Birdseye  Avenue  he  pressed  his  hand  to  his 
side  and  felt  Felicity's  letter  crinkle  beneath  his 
touch.  He  had  carried  it  continuously  with  him,  and 
knew  its  brief  contents  by  heart.  She  had  hoped 
the  letter  might  have  been  one  of  pure  congratula- 
tion ;  she  had  intended  to  keep  her  promise  and  to 
come  to  him  as  his  wife  before  the  world,  but  now 
he  must  wait  until  she  had  time  to  think  over  her 
course  of  action  by  herself.  An  explanation  would 
be  useless ;  but  she  had  recovered  her  ring,  and  she 
knew  the  value  he  put  upon  her  gifts,  both  this  one 
and  the  greater  gift  of  which  it  was  a  symbol.  And 
that  was  all. 

The  fact  remained  that  she  had  not  utterly  cast 
-»-  211  -f- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

him  off.  He  would  be  punished,  but  not  forever, 
and  he  divined  that  his  probation  would  end  with 
her  return.  He  had  a  firm  conviction  that  her  sense 
of  obligation  was  like  his  own,  that  repentance  and 
good  conduct  would  restore  him  to  her,  and  he 
longed  for  an  opportunity  to  tell  her  how  it  had 
happened,  how  much  less  guilty  he  was  than  she 
might  suppose.  If  he  had  been  weak  with  Lena, 
he  knew  that  he  had  also  been  strong.  He  had 
withheld  his  hand  from  taking  all,  when  she  would 
have  offered  no  resistance  to  his  will.  Surely,  that 
counted  for  much,  and  his  temptation  had  been 
great.  Cheered  by  this  thought,  little  realising  that 
the  very  simplicity  of  his  position  would  make  it 
difficult  for  his  wife  to  understand,  that  the  vulgar- 
ity of  his  temptation  was  to  her  its  worst  feature, 
he  glanced  down  the  long  avenue  with  a  sudden 
sentiment  at  the  thought  of  passing  her  home. 

This  street,  because  of  its  width,  the  absence  of 
car-tracks,  and  its  comparative  freedom  from  heavy 
traffic,  was  often  the  scene  of  races  in  the  winter, 
and  now  he  saw  a  group  of  sleighs  ready  for  the 
start.  As  the  bunch  drew  away,  his  own  horse  came 
abreast  of  the  others,  and  without  prearrangement 
he  found  himself  racing  side  by  side  with  Anthony 
Cobbens. 

"  Well  met,  Mr.  Mayor  !  "  the  lawyer  cried  cheer- 
ily.   "  I  '11  race  you  down  to  College  Street." 

Emmet  glanced  at  his  opponent  and  shouted  his 
-h  212  -h- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

acceptance  of  the  challenge,  his  sporting-blood  sur- 
ging suddenly  to  his  very  finger-tips.  As  he  gave 
his  mare  the  whip  and  held  her  in  from  breaking, 
he  looked  once  more  at  the  figure  whizzing  along 
by  his  side  against  the  western  light.  Something 
in  the  pink,  pinched  face,  the  red,  eager  eyes,  ap- 
pealed to  his  sense  of  humour,  and  he  laughed  aloud. 
Emmet  had  more  than  one  reason  for  wishing  to 
beat  this  man.  He  had  worsted  his  candidate  in 
the  election,  and  now  he  would  show  him  a  clean 
pair  of  heels  in  the  race.  His  heart  beat  with  exulta- 
tion as  they  two  drew  away  from  the  others.  For  a 
moment  the  thought  of  Felicity  flashed  through  his 
mind  as  they  passed  her  house  and  the  nose  of  his 
pacer  was  shoved  an  inch  ahead  of  her  opponent. 

"Good  girl,"  he  murmured,  squaring  his  jaw; 
"  good  girl.    Steady  there,  steady." 

The  feathery  snow  flew  up  in  whirls  from  the 
flying  heels.  Pedestrians  on  the  sidewalk  paused 
and  cheered  as  they  flashed  by  under  the  bend- 
ing branches  of  the  elms,  under  the  electric  lights 
that  were  just  then  beginning  their  sputtering 
struggle  for  supremacy  against  the  sunset.  Emmet 
had  learned  to  handle  horses  daring  an  apprentice- 
ship at  the  race-track  in  his  boyhood,  and  now  the 
judgment  with  which  he  had  selected  his  pacer 
was  amply  vindicated.  Her  steaming  flanks  swung 
powerful  and  free ;  her  long  stride  just  missed  the 
dashboard  of  the  sleigh.  As  he  lightly  touched  her 
-*  213  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

swaying  back  with  the  whip  for  a  final  burst  of 
speed,  he  loved  the  beast  as  only  a  horseman  can, 
and  murmured  terms  of  endearment  that  were 
equally  applicable  to  a  sweetheart. 

The  head  of  Cobbens's  horse  was  just  in  a  line 
with  Emmet's  shoulder  as  they  passed  the  goal. 
The  mayor  turned  while  the  other  began  to  drop 
behind  and  shouted  a  derisive  farewell,  with  a  part- 
ing flourish  of,  the  whip.  The  victory  was  as  sweet 
to  his  heart  as  the  taste  of  honey  to  the  lips.  The 
race  had  changed  his  mood  completely,  filling  him 
with  a  joyous  truculence.  He  would  gladly  have 
embraced  the  opportunity  of  a  rough  knock-down 
and  drag-out  fight  with  a  picked  champion  from  the 
enemy's  camp. 

As  he  passed  along  the  eastern  border  of  the 
campus  and  glanced  up  at  St.  George's  Hall,  it  no 
longer  appeared  the  impregnable  fortress  of  privi- 
lege he  had  once  thought  it.  Yet,  in  reality,  the 
towers  of  the  college  had  never  looked  more  formid- 
able. Rising  magnificently  at  the  crest  of  a  bleak 
expanse  of  snow,  the  embrasured  battlements,  sil- 
houetted against  the  sunset  sky,  might  well  have 
suggested  to  a  beholder  grim  thoughts  of  mediaeval 
strongholds  and  robber  barons.  The  red  orb  of  the 
sun,  hovering  just  above  the  rim  of  the  western  hills, 
flashed  successively  through  the  windows  of  the  long, 
low  hall,  like  a  running  trail  of  fire.  Emmet  was 
directly  opposite  the  towers  when  he  saw  the  muzzle 
-+  214  •*- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

of  the  telescope  rise  slowly  above  the  topmost  line 
of  coping,  as  if  it  were  a  living  thing  stretching  it- 
self to  take  a  look  at  the  surrounding  country.  Evi- 
dently Professor  Leigh  was  preparing  the  instrument 
for  an  observation.  Emmet  pictured  the  platform 
heaped  with  snow,  imagined  the  cold  air  rushing 
into  the  small  shed  through  the  open  roof,  and 
wondered  that  his  friend's  enthusiasm  could  brave 
such  discomforts  to  win  a  knowledge  so  remote  from 
the  interests  of  life. 

He  turned  his  eyes  once  more  to  the  road  and 
winked  away  the  glare  of  the  sun.  The  floating 
spots,  changing  from  crimson  to  green  and  from 
green  to  purple,  so  obscured  his  vision  that  he  failed 
to  see  the  figure  of  a  woman  plodding  slowly  on 
in  the  centre  of  the  track.  The  wind  was  directly 
ahead,  and  the  hood  of  a  golf  cape  so  closely  envel- 
oped the  woman's  head  that  she  for  her  part  was 
deaf  to  the  sound  of  coming  sleighbells.  Emmet  had 
been  driving  slowly  to  give  his  mare  a  breathing- 
space.  Now,  as  she  veered  suddenly  of  her  own  ac- 
cord, he  drew  in  the  reins  with  a  jerk,  and  brought 
the  sleigh  to  a  standstill  so  near  to  Lena  Harpster 
that  he  could  have  touched  her  with  his  hand. 

Her  first  alarm  was  followed  immediately  by  such 
a  chaos  of  deeper  emotions  that  the  cry  died  away 
on  her  lips.  She  stood  looking  at  him  with  shining 
eyes  from  behind  the  fringe  of  her  tall,  peaked 
hood ;  then,  in  a  voice  as  low  as  the  wind,  she  spoke 

-+   215   4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

- 

his  name.  At  the  same  moment  she  laid  her  hand 
on  the  edge  of  the  seat,  either  obeying  the  impulse 
that  would  draw  her  to  him,  or  because  she  must 
otherwise  have  fallen. 

Since  their  last  meeting,  their  night  together  in 
the  shelter  of  the  half-finished  building,  he  had  reso- 
lutely put  her  from  his  thoughts.  He  had  supposed 
the  victory  won,  and  never  more  so  than  on  this 
very  day,  when  self-interest  and  moral  obligations 
had  marshalled  such  invincible  arguments  before  his 
mind.  If  he  had  seen  her  from  a  distance,  if  she 
had  been  on  the  sidewalk  instead  of  in  his  very  path, 
would  he  have  had  time  to  wrestle  with  his  tempta- 
tion and  to  overthrow  it?  Would  he  have  whipped 
up  his  horse  and  passed  her  by  without  a  look  of 
recognition  ?  But  the  hypothesis  is  contrary  to  the 
fact,  and  suggests  a  fruitless  speculation.  It  would 
seem  that  his  evil  genius  had  planned  deliberately 
to  put  his  resolution  to  the  supreme  test,  first  by 
filling  him  with  arrogant  self-confidence,  then  by 
firing  his  blood  with  a  triumph  over  his  enemy, 
and  finally  by  placing  within  the  reach  of  his  hand 
the  very  woman  whom  most  of  all,  in  his  heart  of 
hearts,  he  longed  to  see. 

As  she  stood  there  before  him,  all  her  soul  con- 
centrated in  her  eyes,  her  lips  apart  in  breathless 
waiting  on  his  will,  it  seemed  that  trouble  had  never 
put  a  marring  finger  upon  her  beauty ;  and  suddenly 
he  knew  the  overmastering  hunger  of  his  nature. 
-h  216  -»- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

This  was  the  woman  that  loved  him  without  ques- 
tion, the  woman  he  wished  to  take  into  his  arms 
and  carry  off.  The  place  and  time  were  propitious. 
Already  the  sun  had  set  —  there  was  no  one  in  sight 
—  and  just  beyond  the  ridge  the  open  country 
beckoned. 

"  Lena,"  he  said,  his  voice  vibrant  with  reckless 
abandonment  to  his  desire,  "jump  in  here,  quick!" 

There  was  no  previous  greeting,  no  inquiry  or 
explanation,  no  dalliance  with  emotion.  His  first 
words  were  a  command,  her  inevitable  response  was 
to  obey.  Now,  as  always,  she  threw  the  whole  re- 
sponsibility upon  him.  And  Emmet  felt  equal  to  the 
burden.  He  was  like  a  god,  knowing  good  and  evil. 
He  meant  to  do  good  in  the  main,  but  just  now  it 
was  his  pleasure  to  deviate  a  little.  To-morrow  he 
would  come  back  into  the  straight  road  and  hold  it 
to  the  end.  This  resolve  gave  him  a  peculiar  exhilara- 
tion, a  special  license  for  the  definite  indulgence. 

The  next  moment  she  was  nestling  close  to  his  side, 
borne  swiftly  along  as  in  a  dream  to  the  music  of  the 
bells.  Putting  his  left  arm  behind  her  shoulders, 
he  drew  the  robe  up  across  her  face  to  ward  off  the 
whistling  wind.  For  some  time  she  was  content 
to  lie  thus  in  silence,  lost  in  a  sense  of  his  strong 
embrace  and  in  a  consciousness  of  the  romance  that 
had  come  to  her  so  unexpectedly  out  of  loneliness 
and  despair.  This  was  her  own  lover,  come  back  to 
her  again,  but  he  had  never  come  thus  before ;  and 
-h  217  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

she  remembered  with  a  thrill  that  he  was  now  the 
mayor  of  Warwick,  taking  his  pleasure  in  his  own 
sleisrh.  She  wondered  whether  he  had  admired  her 
golf  cape;  she  had  no  need  to  wonder  what  he 
thought  of  its  wearer.  As  if  to  reassure  her  on  this 
very  point,  he  spoke  aloud. 

"  Lena,  I  had  clean  forgot  you  were  so  pretty." 

"  What  did  you  say,  Tom?  "  she  asked,  thrusting 
her  head  above  the  robe  to  hear  again  the  praise 
she  feigned  to  miss. 

"I  had  forgotten,"  he  repeated,  "that  you  were 
so  confoundedly  pretty." 

"  I  should  think  you  would  have  forgotten  it," 
she  retorted.  "  You  gave  yourself  time  enough  to 
forget  almost  anything." 

This  unexpected  show  of  spirit  invested  her  with 
new  piquancy,  and  he  laughed  aloud.  At  that  mo- 
ment the  sleigh  emerged  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill 
and  caught  the  full  force  of  the  wind.  A  violent  gust 
filled  her  hood  and  threw  it  back  upon  her  shoulders, 
disclosing,  as  by  the  touch  of  a  magician's  wand, 
the  mass  of  soft  curls  blowing  wildly  about  her  little 
head,  her  flushed  cheeks  and  shining  eyes.  She  saw 
the  wide,  desolate  sweep  of  the  valley,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  twinkling  lights,  the  belt  of  crimson 
against  the  distant  hills ;  and  then  she  saw  his  eyes 
bending  near  her  own,  as  if  they  would  drink  in  the 
beauty  of  every  line  of  her  face  and  every  curl.  His 
head  blotted  out  the  western  sky,  and  their  lips  met. 
-»•  218  t- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

The  sleigh  began  to  drop  below  the  hill,  faster  and 
faster,  and  her  pulses  kept  time  to  the  jingling  of  the 
bells.  Without  premeditation  she  had  struck  a  new 
note  in  their  relationship.  The  resentment  which  she 
had  scarcely  acknowledged  to  herself  had  grown  dur- 
ing the  weeks  of  unmerited  neglect,  and  its  expression 
had  given  her  an  advantage,  had  filled  him  with 
strange  pleasure.  He  would  find  it  harder  to  stay 
away  from  her  so  long  again.  From  now  on  she 
was  armed  with  a  new  knowledge  of  her  lover. 

Emmet  too  was  seeing  new  light.  He  did  like  op- 
position in  a  woman,  but  not  that  of  a  superior  mind 
and  a  higher  station.  He  would  have  enjoyed  the 
tingle  of  Lena's  little  hand  smiting  his  cheek,  that 
helpless  little  hand  which  he  could  so  easily  control. 
Out  of  this  special  indulgence  which  he  allowed  him- 
self sprang  an  unexpected  menace  for  the  future. 

"Where  are  you  taking  me,  Tom?"  she  asked 
presently. 

"  To  Hillside,"  he  answered,  "  for  supper.  I  can 
have  you  home  by  eight  o'clock.  There 's  no  hurry 
about  your  getting  back  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  assured  him.  "  The  housekeeper 
thinks  I  have  gone  to  my  sister's." 

"  Then  you  are  still  at  the  bishop's  ?  " 

"Yes  —  and  with  very  little  to  do.  I  get  rather 
lonely  sometimes." 

"And  Miss  Wycliffe  didn't  take  you  with  her  as 
her  maid  ?   I  should  have  thought  she  would." 
-+  219  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

He  longed  to  ask  her  about  the  scene  attend- 
ing the  discovery  of  the  ring,  and  to  find  out  just 
what  his  wife  had  said.  Of  course  she  had  not  told 
the  truth,  but  a  new  suspicion  of  Lena's  astuteness 
made  him  cautious.  He  was  impressed  by  the  fact 
that  Felicity  had  left  Lena  behind.  Had  she  loved 
him  wholly,  would  she  not  have  made  every  effort 
to  keep  her  rival  from  his  path  ?  Was  this  her  way 
of  showing  that  she  refused  to  regard  a  servant  in 
such  a  light  ?  Or  was  it  thus  that  she  put  him  upon 
his  honour  ?  At  the  thought  he  winced  with  a  con- 
sciousness of  guilt.  A  third  explanation  occurred 
to  his  mind.  Perhaps  she  left  Lena  behind,  like 
a  bait  in  a  trap,  with  the  old  housekeeper  as  spy. 
This  was  a  mean  thought,  he  knew,  suggested  by 
his  own  duplicity,  but  he  resolved  to  act  upon  the 
supposition  and  to  avoid  all  danger. 

"  She  spoke  of  taking  me,"  Lena  said,  "  but 
changed  her  mind,  and  left  me  to  help  take  care  of 
the  house." 

She  too  had  questions  to  ask,  but  instinctively  she 
shrunk  from  disturbing  the  deep  content  of  the  pre- 
sent moment.  The  road  they  travelled  was  not  the 
one  Leigh  had  taken  that  October  afternoon  when  he 
made  his  bicycle  trip  to  Hillside,  but  a  parallel  way 
about  half  a  mile  to  the  south.  As  they  neared  the 
other  side  of  the  valley,  Emmet  took  a  cross-cut  back 
to  the  northern  road  and  passed  her  house,  without 
knowing  that  the  place  at  which  she  glanced  in  pass- 
■h-  220  +- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

insr  was  her  home.  She  had  no  desire  to  tell  him,  for 
it  seemed  mean  and  homely  in  her  eyes.  She  saw 
her  father's  silhouette  on  the  curtain,  his  corncob 
pipe  in  his  mouth,  and  while  she  would  have  liked 
to  exhibit  her  lover  to  her  family,  she  was  ashamed 
of  their  rustic  ways  and  feared  the  impression  they 
might  make  upon  the  mayor  of  Warwick. 

The  village  of  Hillside  was  typical  of  the  country. 
In  summer  time  a  stream  dropping  down  from  the 
hills  turned  the  wheels  of  a  large  paper  mill.  There 
was  a  general  store,  a  post-office,  a  white,  wooden 
Congregational  church  with  four  Corinthian  pillars, 
and  an  inn  dating  from  Colonial  days,  as  its  swing- 
ing sign-board,  adorned  with  the  blurred  image  of 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  bore  witness.  This  inn, 
"The  Old  Continental,"  had  recovered  from  its 
moribund  condition  with  the  advent  of  the  auto- 
mobile, and  was  often  the  scene  of  gay  supper  par- 
ties from  Warwick.  It  had  received  a  new  coat  of 
yellow  paint  and  a  new  roof,  but  the  Society  for  the 
Preservation  of  Colonial  Landmarks  had  decreed 
that  the  figure  of  the  soldier  on  the  sign-board 
should  remain  untouched  by  the  brush.  Thus  the 
uniform  that  had  once  shone  so  spick  and  span  in 
streaks  of  buff  and  blue  would  better  recall  the  rag- 
ged regimentals  of  the  well-known  poem. 

The  distance  from  Warwick  was  ten  miles,  but  it 
still  lacked  something  of  six  o'clock  when  Emmet 
drove  into  the  stable,  blanketed  his  mare,  and  lifted 
-+  221  •«- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

his  companion  from  the  sleigh.  He  led  her  through 
a  side  door  and  into  a  small  room  that  had  formerly 
been  the  kitchen.  Here,  in  a  huge  brick  fireplace, 
blazing  logs  threw  out  a  dancing  light  that  glinted 
on  the  polished  mahogany  table  and  quaint  chairs, 
and  disclosed  the  dark  red  walls  and  brown  beams, 
as  well  as  several  highly  coloured  English  coaching 
scenes. 

Lena  seated  herself  close  to  the  blaze,  and  glanced 
up  at  the  sooty  arch  above  her  head  with  small 
appreciation  of  the  historic  memories  of  the  place, 
of  the  arch geological  interest  inherent  in  the  swing- 
ing crane  and  twisted  andirons.  It  did  not  occur  to 
her,  as  it  would  have  occurred  to  many  visitors,  to 
open  the  doors  of  the  baking-ovens  at  the  side  and 
to  peer  within.  If  she  thought  at  all  of  these  things, 
it  was  merely  to  realise  their  inconvenience,  and  to 
be  reminded  of  the  similar  room  in  her  own  home. 

And  yet,  though  she  did  not  know  it,  she  was  eli- 
gible to  membership  in  the  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution.  Her  ancestors  had  taken  their 
muskets  from  just  such  chimney  places  to  go  forth 
and  fight  the  British.  Only,  they  had  never  kept 
their  family  records,  their  descendants  had  never 
climbed  high  in  the  world ;  and  now  one  of  them 
was  sitting  in  her  own  appropriate  environment, 
suggesting  in  her  sweet  face,  her  curling  hair  and 
slender  figure,  in  the  very  cape  thrown  over  the 
back  of  the  chair,  the  familiar  picture  of  Priscilla. 
■*  222  +- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

It  was  Emmet,  an  American  of  only  one  gener- 
ation, who  reminded  her  of  the  legend  that  Wash- 
ington had  stopped  there  overnight  on  his  way  to 
take  command  of  the  army  in  Cambridge ;  but  she 
was  too  deeply  absorbed  in  thinking  how  handsome 
he  was  and  how  much  he  seemed  the  mayor  to 
listen  with  attention  to  his  remarks.  She  took  his 
intellectual  interests  for  granted,  and  accepted  as 
a  matter  of  course  his  larger  knowledge  of  a  his- 
tory that  was  his  merely  by  adoption.  Love  was  her 
mental  theme  and  the  sum  of  all  her  interests,  not 
academic  speculations  concerning  the  effect  upon 
America  of  the  great  Irish  immigration  of  the  last 
century,  of  which  indeed  she  had  never  even  heard. 

She  had  not  observed  his  quick,  keen  glance  at 
the  stalls  of  the  stable,  nor  noted  his  relief  when  he 
found  them  empty.  They  two  had  the  house  entirely 
to  themselves,  but  the  larger  dining-room,  seen 
through  the  open  door,  suggested  guests,  for  the 
tables  were  set  and  the  lights  turned  low. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  the  waiter  answered  in  reply  to  his 
question,  "  there 's  a  party  due  here  at  six-thirty 
from  Warwick.    Mr.  Cobbens  is  bringing  'em  out." 

"  Then  hurry  up,"  Emmet  commanded.  "  Bring 
us  something  hot,  and  be  quick  about  it." 

The  man  did  not  know  him ;  there  was  consola- 
tion in  that.  But  Emmet  realised  the  necessity  of 
getting  away  before  the  party  should  arrive.  There 
seemed  a  fatality  in  the  coincidence  that  he  and  Cob- 
-*  223  -*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

bens  should  cross  each  other's  path  twice  in  the  same 
day,  when  often  they  did  not  meet  for  a  fortnight. 

As  Lena  Harpster  drank  her  coffee  and  noted  her 
lover's  increasing  uneasiness,  she  gave  no  sign  of 
her  resentment,  part  of  which  was  due  to  the  unwill- 
ingness of  a  sensuous  nature  to  leave  a  warm  corner 
by  the  fire  on  a  winter  night.  Her  awakened  sense 
of  power  made  her  for  the  first  time  rebellious  of 
being  hustled  out  of  sight  and  kept  in  the  dark. 
The  struggle  between  her  and  Emmet  was  on  in 
earnest,  and  her  heart  beat  fast  with  a  resolve  to 
delay  him  there  until  they  should  be  seen  together. 

It  was  quarter  after  six  when  the  jingle  of  bells 
was  heard  before  the  door,  and  Cobbens's  voice  call- 
ing loudly  for  the  stable-man.  Even  then  there  was 
time  to  escape.  Emmet  had  only  to  pay  his  bill  and 
slip  quickly  out  the  side  door  as  his  enemy  entered 
at  the  front.  Lena  too  saw  the  chance  and  started 
from  her  chair,  her  eyes  fixed  upon  his  with  instinc- 
tive questioning  and  submission,  all  her  high  re- 
solves forgotten  in  the  actual  crisis.  Their  respective 
attitudes  at  that  moment  were  singularly  character- 
istic. She  was  now  poised  for  instant  flight,  with 
something  of  the  air  of  a  creature  of  the  wild  whose 
safety  lies  in  speed  of  wing  or  foot ;  he,  who  had 
thought  to  steal  away  unobserved,  now  threw  the 
thought  contemptuously  aside.  A  dull  glow  of  anger 
spread  slowly  over  his  handsome  features,  and  his 
jaw  grew  rigid. 

-+  224  h- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

"  Sit  down,  Lena/'  he  said  peremptorily.  "  Sit 
down." 

She  sank  into  her  chair  again,  grasping  the  arms 
with  her  thin,  white  fingers. 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  your  supper  ? "  he 
asked  with  a  short  laugh.  "Have  you  lost  your 
appetite?" 

She  took  up  her  spoon  once  more,  but  her  hand 
trembled,  and  she  was  forced  to  steady  it  against 
the  table. 

Cobbens  entered  the  door,  throwing  back  his 
great-coat  and  tugging  at  his  gloves,  to  meet  Em- 
met's slow  turn  of  the  head  and  forbidding  stare. 
It  was  the  look  of  one  who  feels  himself  intruded 
upon  and  waits  in  no  very  amiable  mood  for  an 
apology.  The  rest  of  the  party  followed,  six  in  all, 
and  Emmet  recognised  Mrs.  Parr,  Felicity's  neigh- 
bour and  friend,  among  them.  The  worst  had  come 
to  pass.  Of  Cobbens's  malice  there  could  be  no 
doubt,  but  in  all  probability  he  had  not  observed 
Lena  in  the  bishop's  house  during  her  short  stay 
there  before  her  mistress's  departure.  Mrs.  Parr, 
however,  was  in  and  out  daily;  and  what  more 
choice  bit  of  gossip  could  she  write  to  her  friend 
than  an  account  of  this  unexpected  meeting?  If 
there  was  any  momentary  doubt  in  his  mind,  it  was 
dispelled  by  her  action.  One  sharp  look  told  her  all 
she  wished  to  know;  then  she  turned  her  back  upon 
her  friend's  servant  and  the  mayor  of  Warwick  with 
-t-  225  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

ostentatious  indifference,  holding  out  her  hands  to 
the  blaze  and  chatting  of  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather.  The  others  followed  her  example,  closing 
in  about  the  fire,  as  if  utterly  unconscious  of  the  two 
of  whose  presence  they  were  in  reality  so  acutely 
aware.    Cobbens  alone  chose  a  different  course. 

"  Ah,  Emmet,"  he  said,  with  easy  familiarity,  and 
in  a  tone  that  displayed  a  distinct  relish  for  the 
situation,  "  I  did  n't  mean  to  interrupt  your  tete-a- 
tete,  but  the  fact  is,  I  had  engaged  the  place  for 
dinner  —  wired  out  this  afternoon,  just  before  you 
beat  me  so  handsomely  on  the  avenue.  That's  a 
fine  pacer  of  yours.  If  you  want  to  part  with  her 
at  any  time,  I  hope  you  '11  give  me  a  chance  to  make 
you  an  offer." 

"I  believe  the  waiter  told  me  you  were  coming 
at  six-thirty,"  Emmet  answered  coolly,  glancing  at 
his  watch.  "  Miss  Harpster  and  I  were  counting 
on  another  ten  minutes  to  finish  our  supper." 

If  the  speaker's  first  stare  had  failed  of  its  effect, 
his  words  now  interpreted  it  and  gave  it  significance. 
The  lawyer's  jauntiness  dropped  off,  as  if  a  modicum 
of  respect  for  this  man  had  found  its  way  into  his 
calculating  soul.  Here  was  no  poor  devil  of  a  con- 
ductor, but  the  mayor  of  Warwick,  a  very  different 
person ;  and  though  he  was  surprised  in  an  adventure 
of  gallantry,  he  intended  to  carry  it  off  with  a  high 
hand,  as  nobody's  business  but  his  own.  Cobbens 
reflected  that  the  mayor's  companion  might  well  be 
-H-  226  i- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

a  respectable  girl,  perhaps  his  fiancee.  Now  he  was 
quick  to  see  his  trespass  and  to  mend  his  manner. 

"  Why,  of  course,"  he  assented  graciously.  "  Don't 
let  us  hurry  you.  The  fact  is,  we  all  came  in  here 
before  we  noticed  the  room  was  occupied,  to  leave  our 
wraps.  Quaint  old  place,  isn't  it?  I  fancy  Wash- 
ington could  have  touched  the  ceiling  with  his  hand. 
There 's  a  fire  in  the  larger  room,  I  believe." 

The  party  took  the  hint  and  filed  out  in  silence, 
leaving  Emmet  and  Lena  in  possession  of  the  field. 
But  to  the  mayor  the  victory  appeared  only  half  won, 
for  Lena  had  risen  to  her  feet  at  their  first  entrance, 
as  if  to  remain  standing  in  the  presence  of  her  su- 
periors, thereby  discounting  his  own  assurance.  Now 
she  flushed  beneath  his  look  of  speechless  indigna- 
tion and  reproach.  If  she  had  only  supported  him ! 
If  she  had  only  realised  what  a  beauty  she  was  in 
contrast  with  the  other  women  !  As  superior  as  he 
knew  himself  to  be  to  that  little  Cobbens,  or  to  the 
bland  and  elephantine  husband  of  Mrs.  Parr. 

No  words  now  passed  between  them,  but  in  the 
other  room  the  chatter  continued,  though  in  a  more 
subdued  key.  Emmet  knew  well  that  they  were  only 
waiting  for  him  to  depart  to  break  forth  into  excited 
comments ;  and  presently  he  heard  the  phrase, "  What 
assurance!"  followed  by  a  lull,  as  if  some  one  had 
made  a  cautioning  gesture.  Then  the  somewhat 
dilapidated  piano  began  to  tinkle,  as  it  could  tinkle 
only  under  the  mincing  fingers  of  Mrs.  Parr.  Had 
-*•  227  -*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

her  random  notes  been  given  a  name,  they  might 
have  been  called  Mrs.  Parr's  Tale  of  a  Wayside  Inn. 

Emmet  realised  that  the  fat  was  in  the  fire.  If  he 
were  only  free,  he  reflected  bitterly,  how  little  he 
would  now  care  what  they  thought  or  said !  He  would 
take  Lena  as  his  wife  and  make  a  lady  of  her,  and 
force  her  down  their  throats  by  the  power  of  the 
money  he  meant  to  win.  Position  was  something, 
but  money  everything.  Let  him  once  get  their  hus- 
bands and  sons  in  his  debt,  and  every  door  would 
open  wide.  With  Felicity  as  his  wife,  his  acceptance 
was  assured ;  but  in  his  present  mood  he  scorned 
to  make  his  entry  in  such  a  manner.  Now,  if  he 
spelled  aright  the  handwriting  on  the  wall,  he  might 
remain  forever  on  the  outside  of  the  citadel  he  had 
thought  to  storm.  He  rose  to  his  feet  and  paid  his 
bill  with  a  rueful  conviction  that  he  had  fought  not 
wisely,  though  so  well. 

The  very  action,  the  very  throwing  down  of  the 
money,  somehow  restored  his  earlier  exhilaration, 
the  assurance  of  a  man  who  can  pay  the  bill.  It 
seemed  symbolic  of  future  accounts  of  whatever 
kind,  all  of  which  he  meant  to  square.  The  web  he 
had  woven  for  himself  was  now  so  complete,  his 
discomfiture  so  inevitable,  that  his  spirits  rose  to 
meet  the  odds  he  had  arrayed  against  himself. 

Lena,  divining  his  change  of  moods,  but  little  real- 
ising their  depths  and  heights,  was  tenderly  grate- 
ful. He  had  stood  up  for  her  before  them  all,  and 
->-  228  -^ 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

her  wildest  hope  was  fulfilled.  As  they  drove  from 
the  inn  yard,  she  seized  his  left  hand,  which  he  was 
about  to  thrust  into  his  glove,  and  pressed  it  tremu- 
lously to  her  lips.  In  this  way  she  thanked  him  for 
what  she  thought  he  had  done  for  her,  for  what  in 
reality  he  could  never  do ;  and  at  the  touch  of  her 
soft  lips  his  accusing  conscience  spoke  to  him  in  no 
uncertain  voice. 

During  the  homeward  drive  she  was  unexpectedly 
easy  upon  him.  An  innate  womanly  tact  warned  her 
not  to  speak  of  the  incident  as  committing  him  to 
her  before  the  world.  For  the  second  time  that  even- 
ing she  showed  the  wisdom  of  a  daughter  of  Eve  in 
dealing  with  one  of  the  sons  of  men ;  but  her  gaiety, 
a  new  sparkle  in  her  eyes,  a  new  vibration  in  her 
laugh,  told  him  unmistakably  the  secret  joyousness 
of  her  heart.  He  had  a  glimpse  also  of  what  she 
might  be  under  happier  circumstances ;  he  saw  how 
the  bud  which  was  even  now  so  sweet  could  unfold 
in  love's  sunlight;  he  imagined  the  possibility  of 
their  life  together  ;  but  none  the  less  he  determined 
that  now  at  last  he  must  break  away  from  her  for- 
ever. 

The  immutable  fact  remained  that  he  was  married 
to  Felicity.  Though  he  had  ceased  to  attend  his  own 
church  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  the  Catholic 
doctrine  of  the  indissolubility  of  marriage  remained 
as  one  of  his  traditions,  and  this  too  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  married  by  a  Protestant  priest. 
-+  229  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

He  had  not  committed  the  one  sin  which  his  wife's 
church  recognised  as  the  only  cause  for  divorce.  There 
was  no  escape  from  his  obligation,  provided  his  wife 
would  forgive  him  and  take  him  back.  Her  wrong 
to  him  had  borne  the  bitter  fruit  of  his  wrong  to  this 
defenceless  girl.  Let  her  come  back  —  she  could  not 
come  too  soon  —  and  face  him  with  his  faithlessness. 
He  would  tell  her  what  she  had  done,  and  bid  her 
to  forgive  him  or  not,  as  she  chose. 

The  wind  was  now  at  their  backs,  and  having 
slackened  its  velocity  until  it  approximated  their  pace, 
it  seemed  to  have  died  down  altogether,  leaving  them 
to  glide  along  in  a  dead  calm.  Emmet  looked  up  at 
the  stars,  which  had  never  seemed  to  shine  with  such 
peculiar  brilliancy,  and  thought  of  Leigh.  There 
was  the  one  man  in  whom  he  could  confide.  None 
of  his  old  acquaintances  could  be  trusted  with  such 
a  vital  secret.  The  astronomer  bore  no  part  in  the 
struggles  and  jealousies  about  him.  His  very  oc- 
cupation at  that  moment  invested  him  in  Emmet's 
eyes  with  something  of  the  impartiality  and  spiritual 
aloofness  of  the  seer.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  to 
seek  the  help  of  the  confessional,  to  make  his  peace 
with  the  church  from  whose  instruction,  even  as  a 
boy,  he  had  fled  to  the  public  schools,  in  spite  of  his 
mother's  disapproval  and  the  angry  protests  of  his 
parish  priest.  That  very  night  he  would  go  to  Leigh, 
if  not  for  advice,  at  least  for  sympathy  and  under- 
standing. 

-+  230  +- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

Immersed  in  such  thoughts,  he  said  little,  but  from 
time  to  time  he  drew  Lena  to  him  and  kissed  her, 
not  with  his  former  intensity,  but  with  a  softening 
sense  of  impending  farewell.  They  had  come  within 
sight  of  the  towers  of  St.  George's  Hall,  looming 
against  the  pale  horizon,  when  she  threw  him  into 
sudden  panic. 

"  Tom,  dear,"  she  said,  "  did  you  know  that  Miss 
Wycliffe  took  away  the  ring  you  gave  me  ?  " 

"  Took  it  away  ?  "  he  echoed. 

"  Yes ;  she  said  it  belonged  to  her,  and  that  she 
had  lost  it  in  the  car.  Of  course,  I  had  to  give  it 
up."  After  vacillating  in  delicate  hesitation  she  went 
on.  "I  did  n't  mind  losing  the  ring  so  very  much, 
since  it  was  really  hers,  but  I  was  a  little  hurt  that 
you  did  n't  buy  me  a  ring." 

He  winced  perceptibly,  and  she  hastened  to  make 
her  peace. 

"  What  a  queer  old  thing  it  was !  I  liked  it  at 
first  because  you  gave  it  to  me,  though  it  seemed  to 
have  an  unlucky  look,  somehow.  I  'd  much  rather 
have  had  just  a  little  ring,  with  a  solitary  diamond 
in  it." 

"  Did  you  tell  her  where  you  got  it  ?  "  he  demanded 
abruptly. 

"  She  asked  who  gave  me  the  ring,  and  I  told  her. 
But  I  did  n't  tell  her  we  were  engaged,  or  anything 
like  that." 

"  What  did  you  tell  her,  then  ?  "  he  persisted. 
-H-  231  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Just  that  you  gave  me  the  ring,  Tom.  Then  she 
told  me  you  must  have  found  it  in  the  car." 

"  I  suppose  she  blamed  me  for  not  returning  the 
thing  to  the  office/'  he  suggested. 

His  effort  to  appear  indifferent  did  not  escape  her 
awakened  perception.  She  suffered  again  the  pang  of 
losing  him  that  had  brought  her  to  her  knees  on  that 
dreadful  night,  and  fluttered  toward  him  in  terror. 

"  Oh,  no,  Tom,"  she  cried.  "  She  did  n't  say  any- 
thing about  that,  but  she  seemed  angry  with  me, 
though  she  was  so  quiet.  I  thought,  Tom,  —  how 
foolish  you  will  think  me,  —  that  she  loved  you  and 
meant  to  take  you  away  from  me  !  " 

He  laughed  harshly.    "  She  love  me!" 

The  bitter  incredulity  of  his  accent  was  too  pro- 
nounced to  be  feigned,  as  indeed  it  was  not,  and  she 
lifted  her  head,  reassured.  "  I  might  have  known  it," 
she  said,  dashing  away  her  tears  with  a  tremulous 
little  laugh,  "  but  I  loved  you  so.  And  she  warned 
me  against  you.  She  said  you  meant  nothing  good  by 
me.  I  suppose  she  thought  you  would  want  to  marry 
a  lady,  now  that  you  are  mayor ;  but  at  the  time  I 
felt  somehow  that  she  wanted  you  for  herself ! " 

A  subtler  and  more  highly  developed  man  would 
have  foreseen  all  this  suffering  from  the  first;  he 
would  have  sown  the  wind  with  some  knowledge  of 
the  whirlwind  to  come.  But  Emmet  was  a  child  in 
matters  feminine,  and  he  stood  aghast  at  the  thought 
of  the  probable  effect  upon  Lena  of  the  inevitable 
-+  232  +- 


THE    OLD    CONTINENTAL 

discovery  of  the  truth.  If  the  very  fancy  caused  her 
such  grief,  what  would  she  do  when  she  found  out 
that  her  imagination  had  been  prophetic  ?  A  frantic 
desire  to  postpone  the  blow  that  must  fall  upon  her 
so  soon  gave  him  the  skill  of  a  Faustus.  He  scoffed 
at  the  absurdity  of  her  fear,  and  a  bitter  conviction 
of  his  wife's  selfishness  gave  his  arguments  the  ring 
of  truth.  Only,  when  he  drew  a  picture  of  the  differ- 
ence between  his  social  position  and  that  of  women 
of  Miss  Wycliffe's  class,  she  stopped  him  with  the 
assertion  that  not  one  of  them,  with  all  their  money, 
was  worthy  to  be  his  wife.  She  added  humbly  that 
she  knew  how  little  worthy  she  was  herself. 

As  if  the  approaching  end  of  their  journey  drove 
her  on  to  lay  her  soul  bare  before  him,  she  told  him 
every  detail  of  that  interview  with  her  mistress  in  her 
room,  down  to  the  moment  when  she  had  groped 
blindly  for  the  window  and  looked  out  through  her 
tears  to  see  him  pass. 

He  had  planned  to  leave  her  some  distance  from  the 
bishop's  house,  but  now  caution  was  useless.  The 
street,  however,  was  deserted  thereabouts,  though 
the  night  was  still  young,  and  no  one  saw  their  fare- 
well. As  he  drove  away  and  glanced  back  to  see  her 
figure  still  motionless  against  the  snow,  he  experi- 
enced some  of  the  punishment  that  comes  to  him  who 
plays  at  ducks  and  drakes  with  a  woman's  heart. 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE   CONFESSION 


joLN  hour  later,  Emmet  approached  the  college 
through  the  maple  walk  with  very  different  feelings 
from  those  he  had  entertained  when  he  watched 
the  sunset  behind  the  towers.  Then  he  had  felt 
the  glory  of  individualism,  his  own  vivid  power 
as  opposed  to  the  lethargy  of  institutions.  But  his 
recent  experience  had  started  the  pendulum  back, 
and  now  it  swung  to  the  other  extreme.  His  self- 
confidence  had  been  followed  by  an  exhibition  of 
weakness.  He  who  could  defy  and  control  men  was 
helpless  before  the  eyes  of  a  woman ;  he  who  had 
burned  with  indignation  at  the  corrupt  politics  of 
his  enemies,  who  had  sacrificed  his  interests  to  prin- 
ciple by  showing  Bat  Quayle  the  door,  had  gone 
forth  and  sacrificed  his  principles  to  his  pleasure  at 
the  very  first  opportunity. 

Though  by  nature  objective  rather  than  introspec- 
tive, his  experiences  since  his  first  meeting  with 
Felicity  were  teaching  him  by  hard  blows  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  own  psychology.  Had  he  been  unmoral, 
he  would  have  remained  unscrupulous  and  unreflect- 
ing, but  the  claims  of  right  would  not  down.  He 
-H-  234  i- 


THE    CONFESSION 


saw  the  better  way  and  approved  it,  but  followed 
the  worse,  and  his  knowledge  of  this  inconsistency 
was  gall  and  bitterness  to  his  soul.  He  was  as  gen- 
uinely repentant  as  it  is  possible  for  a  healthy  man 
to  be  while  the  taste  of  life  is  still  sweet;  yet 
without  doubt  a  large  measure  of  his  repentance 
was  the  fear  of  discovery.  In  the  recesses  of  his 
mind  lurked  a  hope  that  Leigh  would  be  able  to  show 
him  some  way  out  of  the  labyrinth,  would  some- 
how help  him  to  escape  the  consequences  of  his  mis- 
deeds. 

Born  a  Catholic,  his  instinctive  attitude  toward 
the  established  order  of  things  was  that  of  a  dis- 
senter. Yet  here  were  religion  and  learning  com- 
ing back,  and  not  in  vain,  to  claim  their  penny  of 
tribute.  He  had  defied  the  authority  of  the  Church, 
and  had  nevertheless  accepted  her  doctrine  of  the 
sanctity  of  marriage ;  he  had  scorned  the  College, 
and  now  he  turned  by  preference  to  one  of  her 
representatives,  influenced,  in  spite  of  prejudice  and 
disillusioning  experience,  by  respect  for  her  ideals. 
There  she  loomed,  seeming  monolithic  in  her  solid- 
ity, a  part  of  the  rock  on  which  she  was  built,  her 
windows  sending  out  shafts  of  light  into  the  sur- 
rounding darkness,  an  allegory  in  stone. 

As  he  passed  the  windows,  he  saw  within  charac- 
teristic glimpses  of  college  life.  Half  a  dozen  students 
were  gathered  about  a  fireplace  with  their  pipes, 
clothed  in  every  variety  of  garment  from  the  sweater 
-t-  235  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

or  bath-robe  to  the  evening  dress  of  one  who  had 
dropped  in  for  a  chat  on  his  way  to  a  dance.  In  an- 
other room  a  game  of  cards  was  in  progress ;  in  still 
a  third  a  thoughtful  plodder  sat  close  to  his  shaded 
lamp,  his  head  resting  upon  his  hand,  an  open  book 
before  him.  Somewhere  above  he  heard  a  piano 
played  with  brilliancy  and  dash,  and  the  rollicking 
chorus  of  the  college  song :  — 

Then  we  HI  drink  to  old  St.  George, 

{By  George!) 
Then  we  HI  drink  to  our  valiant  knight, 

With  his  trusty  spear, 

A  nd  never  a  fear, 
And  the  dragon  pinned  down  tight,  tight,  tight, 
And  the  dragon  pinned  down  tight ! 

Emmet  listened  to  the  refrain  with  a  curious  mix- 
ture of  envy  and  contempt.  Many  a  time  these 
fellows  had  taken  his  car  and  discussed  football  news 
with  him,  but  at  no  time,  in  his  hearing,  had  their 
conversation  indicated  intellectual  interests  or  risen 
even  to  the  level  of  the  socialistic  problems  that 
were  dear  to  his  heart.  He  had  yet  to  learn  more 
of  college  life  than  is  disclosed  by  the  sporting 
clique  to  a  street-car  conductor ;  but  with  character- 
istic self-assurance  he  thought  he  had  penetrated  to 
the  very  heart  of  the  machine.  The  quiet  and  un- 
obtrusive student,  the  leaven  of  the  loaf,  the  future 
poet  or  statesman,  had  never  attracted  his  attention 
or  that  of  men  of  his  kind.  They  saw  only  what 
was  on  the  surface.  It  was  the  froth  of  college  life 
-*-  236  -*- 


THE    CONFESSION 


that  gave  him  a  not  unwelcome  excuse  to  form  caus- 
tic generalisations  upon  a  privileged  class. 

He  hurried  along,  relieved  to  meet  no  one  on  the 
walk,  for  there  were  few  who  would  not  have  recog- 
nised him,  and  his  mood  was  all  for  concealment. 
Observing  from  without  that  the  light  in  Leigh's 
windows  was  dim,  he  concluded  that  he  was  still 
upon  the  tower  and  went  on  up  the  stairs,  striking 
match  after  match  to  guide  his  steps.  As  he  paused 
to  extinguish  the  embers,  he  encountered  the  blank 
darkness  of  the  walls,  relieved  by  ghostly  slits  of 
windows  holding  here  and  there  a  star;  and  the  hol- 
low drumming  of  the  wind  was  like  the  sea.  It  was 
a  release  to  emerge  at  last  from  this  series  of  aerial 
prisons  and  to  stand  beneath  the  wide  sweep  of  the 
sky.  In  answer  to  his  knock  Leigh  opened  the  door 
and  confronted  him,  clothed  like  a  Siberian  Cossack. 

"Still  at  it,  professor?"  Emmet  inquired.  "I 
should  think  you  would  be  frozen  out." 

"  Come  in,  Mr.  Emmet,"  Leigh  answered.  "  This 
is  a  welcome  interruption.  I  've  been  working  at  a 
problem  now  for  a  month,  and  was  just  beginning 
to  get  a  little  lonely." 

His  eyes  shone  bright  in  the  dim  light  and  his 
face  was  somewhat  thinner  than  Emmet  had  remem- 
bered it,  but  his  manner  was  buoyant  and  alert. 
The  visitor  took  a  chair  and  glanced  about  him  with 
interest,  noting  the  changes  that  had  been  made 
since  he  last  saw  the  place.  He  observed  an  impro- 
-+  237  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

vised  windbreak  of  canvas,  and  a  charcoal  brasier 
in  the  corner. 

"  And  how  do  you  manage  to  work  that  sliding 
roof  in  snowy  weather  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  A  broom,  a  shovel,  some  salt  to  melt  the  ice, 
and  a  little  oil  for  the  wheels  "  — 

"  Well,  I  saw  your  telescope  rising  up  above  the 
towers  about  half -past  four,  and  was  so  surprised  to 
think  that  you  were  still  taking  observations  that  I 
came  up  to  see  how  the  place  looked." 

"I'm  making  observations  for  the  parallax  of 
Arcturus,"  Leigh  explained.  "  The  atmosphere  is 
clearer  in  winter,  you  know." 

"  How  long  might  it  take,  now,"  Emmet  asked 
jocosely,  "  to  get  at  the  facts  ?  " 

"  Who  knows  ?  Others  have  been  working  at  the 
same  problem  for  twelve  years." 

Emmet  emitted  a  low  whistle.  "  What  does  it  all 
amount  to  ?  "  he  demanded.  "  Suppose  you  do  find 
the  what's  its  name  —  parallax?  It  sounds  like  the 
name  of  some  kind  of  weapon.  Why  don't  you  go 
in  for  some  other  line  of  business,  before  it's  too 
late  ?  There 's  the  law,  now  —  a  short  cut  to  poli- 
tics. You  could  get  somewhere  in  the  world,  if  you 
didn't  shut  yourself  up  on  this  tower  and  spend 
your  time  in  looking  through  that  telescope." 

The  reproach  was  in  reality  a  compliment,  and 
Emmet  would  have  been  disappointed  had  his  sug- 
gestion been  received  with  favour. 
-+  238  +- 


THE    CONFESSION 


"  Since  we  're  comparing  politics  with  astronomy/' 
Leigh  answered,  "  let  me  ask  who  was  the  governor 
of  this  State  fifty  years  ago  ?  Perhaps  he  spent  a 
lifetime  struggling  for  the  place,  and  after  his  two 
years  of  office  he  was  down  and  out  for  good,  with 
the  privilege  of  hanging  his  portrait  among  a  hun- 
dred others  on  the  walls  of  the  State  Library.  But 
take  any  name  connected  with  a  scientific  discovery, 
and  it  lasts  as  long  as  the  world  endures.  Take  even 
a  lesser  name  —  never  mind  your  Galileos  and 
Herschels.  There 's  Asaph  Hall,  who  discovered  the 
moons  of  Mars,  and  already,  before  his  death,  he  is 
enjoying  his  immortality." 

"  But  I  thought  you  told  me  the  instrument  was 
no  good,"  Emmet  persisted. 

"  Not  as  bad  as  that.  It  is  n't  what  I  should  like, 
but  a  man  must  do  something,  even  if  it 's  only  to 
keep  in  practice.  It  might  stand  him  in  stead  some 
day  in  a  larger  place." 

Emmet  was  too  much  absorbed  in  himself  to  catch 
the  hint  of  restlessness  these  words  conveyed. 
Leigh's  profession,  like  the  ministry,  made  him, 
in  the  mayor's  eyes,  a  being  apart  from  the  life 
with  which  he  was  familiar.  It  naturally  did  not 
occur  to  him  that  the  astronomer  had  been  driven 
back  to  his  duty  by  the  scourge  of  suffering,  much 
less  that  his  own  wife  had  wielded  the  whip.  He 
saw  only  an  inexplicable  devotion  to  an  ideal  pur- 
suit. 

-H-  239  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Well,"  Leigh  continued,  with  a  sudden  change 
of  manner,  "  and  how  is  the  mayoralty  getting  on  ?  " 

Emmet's  face  darkened.  "  I  had  it  out  with  Bat 
Quayle  this  morning  and  turned  him  down  hard. 
He  '11  get  back  at  me  sooner  or  later.  But  that  is  n't 
what  I  came  up  to  see  you  about.  The  fact  is,  I  'm 
in  trouble." 

Leigh  glanced  tentatively  at  the  sheets  of  paper 
on  his  table,  covered  with  unfinished  calculations, 
and  hesitated ;  but  his  visitor's  manner  implied  an 
urgent  need. 

"  If  I  can  be  of  any  help  to  you  "  —  he  suggested. 

"I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  Emmet  answered 
gloomily,  "  as  that  I  want  to  tell  some  one  what  an 
awful  fool  I  've  made  of  myself." 

"  There  are  others,"  Leigh  replied,  with  a  bitter 
grin.  "  I  know  a  triple-expansion  ass  not  a  hundred 
miles  from  here ;  so  fire  away." 

Emmet  went  over  to  the  brasier  and  warmed  his 
hands,  as  if  embarrassed  for  words  with  which  to 
begin.  Leigh  fumbled  in  the  pocket  of  his  great- 
coat and  produced  his  pipe,  then  drawing  up  his 
chair  opposite,  he  sat  down  to  listen.  No  premoni- 
tion came  to  him  at  that  moment  that  the  story  his 
visitor  had  to  tell  in  any  way  concerned  himself,  or 
would  deepen  the  even  melancholy  of  his  present 
days.  He  settled  himself  comfortably,  with  a  sense 
of  justifiable  relaxation  from  toil.  The  troubles  of 
another  might  arouse  his  intellectual  sympathy,  but 
-+  240  +- 


THE    CONFESSION 


they  could  add  no  burden  to  his  heart.  He  even 
experienced  a  pleasurable  curiosity.  Emmet  was  to 
some  degree  a  mysterious  character  to  him,  though 
he  no  longer  thought  of  him  in  connection  with 
Felicity.  Her  departure  from  Warwick  had  put  an 
end  to  that  suspicion,  and  made  it  something  of 
which  he  was  ashamed.  He  divined  indeed  that  the 
trouble  concerned  a  woman,  but  not  the  woman  who 
had  gone  away  with  such  evident  indifference  to 
any  man  in  Warwick. 

"  Well,  Emmet,"  he  said  at  last,  "  here  I  am,  all 
ears.  Perhaps  it  will  help  you  to  a  beginning  if 
I  suggest  that  there's  a  woman  somewhere  at  the 
bottom  of  the  trouble." 

The  other  placed  his  chair  snugly  in  the  corner, 
buried  his  hands  deep  in  his  pockets,  and  looked  at 
the  brasier  with  a  fixed  stare.  "  It 's  not  one  woman," 
he  began,  with  a  sensible  effort,  "it's  two.  I  don't 
know  any  better  way  to  give  you  an  idea  of  the  tan- 
gle I've  gotten  myself  into  than  by  going  back  to 
the  beginning  of  the  story.  About  five  years  ago,  I 
hadn't  any  more  idea  of  going  into  politics  than  you 
have  now.  I  was  playing  baseball  in  the  summer  and 
running  a  car  in  winter,  and  saving  my  money.  My 
parents  were  both  dead,  and  I  was  thinking  that  it 
was  pretty  near  time  for  me  to  get  married.  I  was 
never  one  to  throw  away  my  money  with  the  boys, — 
it  came  too  hard,  —  I  didn't  even  smoke  or  drink, 
and"  — 

-+  241  -h- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  That 's  a  bad  beginning,"  Leigh  interrupted, 
shaking  his  head  with  mock  seriousness.  "  No  small 
vices  —  women." 

Emmet  took  the  comment  with  good  humour.  "  No, 
I  was  n't  an  easy  mark  for  women,  either.  I  tell  you 
my  main  idea  was  to  get  ahead,  to  save  some  money. 
I  could  n't  stand  poverty ;  I  had  seen  too  much  of  it. 
When  I  was  a  boy,  I  carried  the  washing  for  my 
mother  after  school  hours.  In  summer  I  played  base- 
ball and  hung  around  the  race-track.  If  I  had  n't 
been  so  heavy,  I  'd  have  become  a  jockey  and  made 
my  fortune  quicker ;  but  anyhow  I  had  ten  thousand 
dollars  salted  away  by  the  time  I  was  twenty-five. 
I  'm  thirty  now." 

Leigh  was  secretly  somewhat  amused  by  this 
prologue,  which  seemed  to  spring  partly  from  the 
egotism  of  a  self-made  man,  partly  from  an  instinc- 
tive unwillingness  to  embark  upon  the  confession 
to  which  he  was  committed.  However,  he  was  far 
from  being  bored.  "I'm  about  thirty  myself,"  he 
remarked,  "and  I'm  worth  about  thirty  cents.  But 
that 's  a  digression." 

"Well,  as  I  was  saying,"  Emmet  resumed,  "I 
wasn't  an  easy  mark  for  women.  I  had  too  much 
at  stake  to  get  tangled  up  that  way,  but  I  was  think- 
ing that  it  was  pretty  near  time  for  me  to  find  a  wife. 
There 's  a  lady  in  this  town  —  you  '11  hardly  believe 
it  —  I  did  n't  myself,  at  first  —  that  took  a  fancy  to 
me.  She  was  rich  and  fashionable,  and  all  that,  the 
-+  242  +- 


THE    CONFESSION 


sort  of  woman  I  would  n't  have  thought  of  in  any 
such  way;  but  gradually  I  began  to  notice  that  she 
took  my  car  nearly  every  day.  Even  when  she  told 
me  straight  out  that  she  preferred  to  ride  with  me,  I 
did  n't  suspect  anything,  for  she  always  had  a  pleas- 
ant word  for  all  the  boys.  But  after  a  while  I  woke 
up  to  the  fact  that  she  knew  just  when  I  would  be 
at  the  City  Hall,  and  managed  her  shopping  so  as  to 
ride  home  with  me.  After  that  I  began  to  take  par- 
ticular notice.  When  I  took  her  fare,  I  was  embar- 
rassed by  the  look  in  her  eyes.  She  had  fine  eyes, 
and  a  way  of  sizing  me  up  that  seemed  to  mean 
something.  Sometimes  our  hands  would  touch  for 
a  moment,  and  then  it  was  n't  by  accident ;  and  by 
Christmas  time  I  knew  as  well  as  if  she  had  told  me 
that  if  she  was  n't  in  love  with  me,  she  thought  she 
was." 

"  You  were  a  lucky  dog,"  Leigh  said,  filling  an 
impressive  pause  with  the  first  chance  comment  that 
came  to  him.  Afterward  he  wondered  at  the  obsti- 
nate torpidity  of  his  mind,  for  not  even  the  refer- 
ence to  her  deliberate  look  and  fine  eyes  gave  him 
the  clew.  All  this  talk  of  early  hardship  and  of 
street-cars  had  put  the  narrator  for  the  time  on 
another  level  from  that  he  now  occupied  in  the 
world,  and  made  his  past  seem  his  present.  The 
very  confession,  and  the  manner  of  it,  belittled  the 
confessor,  and  Leigh  took  his  characterisation  of 
his  admirer  as  rich  and  fashionable  with  a  grain  of 
-i-  243  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

salt,  making  some  allowance  for  the  point  of  view, 
some  for  natural  vanity  and  a  desire  to  impress  him. 

"  I  did  n't  think  I  was  so  lucky/'  the  mayor 
answered  simply.  "  Of  course  I  was  pretty  well  set 
up,  but  I  never  thought  it  would  amount  to  any- 
thing, and  it  was  a  dangerous  game  to  play.  I  was  n't 
sure  how  far  I  could  go,  or  how  far  she  wanted 
me  to  go,  and  besides,  I  had  mighty  little  chance  to 
see  her  alone.  There  was  always  somebody  near, 
and  I  thought  if  I  overstepped  the  mark  she  might 
be  offended,  or  her  father  might  get  on  to  it  and 
have  me  fired  for  impertinence." 

His  listener  suddenly  abandoned  his  semi-recum- 
bent position  for  one  of  alert  attention  and  ceased 
smoking,  not  yet  fully  aware  of  the  reason  for  his 
dawning  excitement,  except  that  the  last  words  had 
called  up  a  vision  of  Bishop  Wycliffe  to  his  mind. 
He  was  in  a  state  of  suspended  perception,  trembling 
upon  the  brink  of  a  discovery  he  was  loath  to  make, 
waiting  with  painful  tension  for  more  light. 

"So  I  did  n't  even  meet  her  halfway,"  Emmet 
was  saying.  "  She  kept  asking  me  questions  about 
my  life,  until  little  by  little  she  knew  all  about  me. 
But  the  thing  that  interested  her  most  was  the  fact 
that  I  belonged  to  a  union,  and  that  I  had  read  a 
good  deal  of  political  economy.  Well,  at  Christmas 
time  I  got  a  box  of  books  without  any  clew  as  to  the 
sender,  but  of  course  I  knew  who  sent  them.  They 
were  Plato  and  Marcus  Aurelius  and  Epicfcetus  and 
-+  244  ■»- 


THE    CONFESSION 


John  Stuart  Mill,  and  books  of  that  kind.  After 
that  she  began  to  talk  to  me,  right  before  her  friends 
or  her  father,  of  my  studies.  I  read  at  the  books,  at 
first  to  please  her  and  to  have  something  to  say  about 
them,  and  then  because  I  became  interested.  Her 
friends  regarded  me  as  one  of  her  charities  and  began 
to  patronise  me,  but  all  the  time  I  knew  she  felt  dif- 
ferently, though  no  one  suspected  it  but  ourselves. 

"  Just  before  I  left  the  car  to  play  ball  in  the 
spring,  she  said  she  hoped  it  would  be  the  last  time, 
for  I  was  fit  for  something  better.  Several  times  she 
happened  to  be  in  Warwick  that  summer  when  we 
played  there,  and  I  saw  her  in  the  grand  stand; 
and  once,  when  I  knocked  a  home  run,  I  saw  her 
wave  her  handkerchief  to  let  me  know  she  saw  me 
do  it.  When  I  came  back  in  the  fall,  we  began  with 
a  new  understanding.  I  had  thought  a  good  deal  of 
her  during  the  summer,  and  I  knew  she  had  of  me. 
There  was  more  between  us  than  before,  and  it  was 
only  a  question  of  time  and  opportunity  before  we 
should  come  together.  We  happened  to  take  the 
same  car  one  evening  when  I  was  off  duty.  All  the 
way  up  we  talked  like  two  old  friends,  and  when  she 
reached  her  street,  I  helped  her  off  and  then  walked 
over  with  her  to  her  house  on  Birdseye  Avenue." 

A  sharp  crackling  sound  startled  him  into  silence. 

Leigh  had  unconsciously  been  clenching  the  amber 

stem  of  his  pipe  with  increasing  intensity,  and  now 

it  was  ground  to  powder  between  his  teeth.    The 

-+  245  -*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

meerschaum  bowl  fell  to  the  floor,  scattering  a  trail 
of  sparks  as  it  rolled  away. 

"  Hello  !  "  Emmet  cried.  "  You  've  broken  your 
pipe." 

Leigh  was  groping  for  the  bowl  and  stamping  out 
the  sparks. 

"  The  cold  weather/'  he  muttered,  "  makes  the 
amber  brittle.  There  must  have  been  a  flaw  some- 
where/ 9 

Long  before  Emmet  had  mentioned  Birdseye  Ave- 
nue, he  had  known  the  worst;  but  only  then,  when 
he  remembered  the«  two  lovers  whom  he  and  Car- 
din  gt on  had  overtaken  after  the  evening  at  Little- 
ford's,  did  his  emotion  culminate  in  this  unexpected 
expression.  She  had  gone  from  his  side,  after  he 
had  made  love  to  her  and  had  taken  the  lilies  of  the 
valley  he  still  cherished,  to  walk  with  her  real  lover, 
to  congratulate  him  upon  the  triumph  she  had  made 
her  dupe  describe.  Now  every  incident  connected 
with  her  fell  into  its  proper  place  and  appeared  with 
its  true  meaning.  He  understood  how  he  had  been 
used  from  the  first ;  the  lurking  figure  by  the  fire 
in  the  woods  was  no  longer  a  mystery ;  the  scene 
on  this  very  spot,  when  she  had  bent  down  to  hand 
Emmet  the  candle,  was  explained.  The  whole  story, 
in  which  he  played  the  part  of  a  meddler  and  a  fool, 
was  unrolled  before  him.  Emmet  —  Emmet  —  Em- 
met —  that  had  been  her  theme,  and  apparently  her 
chief  interest  in  life.  Still,  with  a  pitiful  hope,  he 
-+  246  +- 


THE    CONFESSION 


must  needs  have  the  final  proof  before  believing. 
There  was  yet  some  remote  possibility  of  a  mistake, 
some  question  at  least  as  to  the  extent  of  her  infatu- 
ation for  this  man.  He  had  spoken  of  two  women. 
Perhaps  Miss  Wycliffe's  abrupt  departure  was  con- 
nected with  a  discovery  of  his  unfaithfulness  to  her, 
and  meant  that  she  would  cast  him  off  forever.  A 
wild  hope  that  this  might  be  so  displaced  his  first 
despair.  If  that  were  all, —  a  mere  ideal  fancy  which 
really  did  her  credit, — perhaps  she  would  return 
disillusioned,  convinced  of  her  mistake,  and  eager  to 
bury  its  very  memory  forever. 

He  regained  his  seat,  pale  as  a  ghost,  but  with  a 
wonderful  effort  he  managed  to  smile. 

Emmet  reflected  a  moment.  He  had  gone  too  far 
to  retreat. 

"  Perhaps  if  her  name  were  still  Miss  Wy cliff e," 
he  announced,  "  instead  of  Mrs.  Emmet,  it  might 
be  better  for  all  concerned." 

Only  the  semi-darkness  of  the  place  prevented 
him  from  seeing  the  effect  of  this  disclosure.  Dur- 
ing the  silence  that  ensued,  the  canvas  of  the  wind- 
break flapped  audibly,  like  the  sail  of  a  yacht 
responding  to  a  rising  breeze. 

"  You  did  n't  expect  that  ?  "  he  demanded,  grati- 
fied by  the  sensation  he  had  created. 

"  No,"  Leigh  heard  himself  reply,  in  a  voice  that 
sounded  far  away.    "  That  makes  it  all  the  more  — 
interesting.    Then  you  were  married  secretly  ?  " 
■*  247  +~ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Not  for  two  years  or  more ;  but  we  met  from 
time  to  time.  I  can't  help  wondering  now  why  nobody 
suspected  the  truth.  Of  course  the  boys  chaffed  me 
a  good  deal,  and  asked  to  be  invited  to  the  wedding, 
but  they  were  miles  short  of  guessing  the  real  state 
of  affairs.  Sometimes  I  noticed  her  friends  putting 
their  heads  together  and  knew  they  were  discussing 
me,  for  they  stopped  whispering  when  I  came  up  for 
their  fares.  But  even  so  I  heard  casual  remarks. 
Some  said  it  was  sweet  of  her — the  way  women  talk, 
you  know  —  and  democratic,  and  others  said  it  was 
no  use  trying  to  do  anything  for  that  kind  of 
people." 

"  Mrs.  Parr,  for  example  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Emmet  burst  out,  his  eyes  flashing  redly, 
"but  I'll  show  that  singed  cat  yet  what  kind  of 
people  I  am  !  I  '11  show  her  and  her  whole  damned 
set ! "  His  anger  almost  choked  him,  and  his  face 
grew  crimson.  "She's  part  of  the  story,  too,"  he 
went  on,  "but  she  doesn't  come  in  yet.  However, 
if  there  were  two  people  in  Warwick  that  suspected 
anything  serious,  it  was  that  woman  and  Professor 
Cardington." 

"Not  the  bishop?"  Leigh  asked. 

"  I  don't  think  so,  though  he  did  freeze  me  in  that 
way  of  his  that  you  can't  put  your  finger  on.  He 's 
as  proud  as  Lucifer,  and  would  as  soon  have  thought 
of  his  daughter  falling  in  love  with  some  little  Dago 
on  the  street  as  with  me.  But  all  the  same,  he  did  n't 
-f.  248  +- 


THE    CONFESSION 


approve  of  her  interest  in  me,  and  he  managed  to 
make  it  evident." 

Leigh  had  a  vision  of  the  blow  that  awaited  the 
bishop's  pride.  He  even  wondered  whether  the  dis- 
closure would  kill  him,  but  he  made  no  comment. 
In  his  own  heart  a  sense  of  anger  deadened  for  the 
time  being  his  sense  of  loss.  Since  his  discovery  of 
the  fact  that  she  was  a  married  woman,  her  treatment 
of  him  appeared  so  much  more  heartless  that  he  felt 
he  could  never  forgive  her. 

"  We  were  married  in  New  York,"  Emmet  ex- 
plained. "  It  was  in  September.  The  bishop  was 
off  on  a  visitation ;  Mrs.  Parr  was  in  Europe.  We 
met"  — 

"Never  mind,"  Leigh  interrupted,  shrinking. 
"  Tell  me  where  the  other  woman  comes  in." 

u  That  's  just  what  I  'm  coming  to  now.  When  we 
got  back  to  Warwick,  —  we  did  n't  come  together, 
you  understand,  —  I  found  out  for  the  first  time 
what  I  was  in  for.  That  was  when  my  troubles 
began." 

"  You  don't  speak  as  if  you  loved  her,"  the  other 
said  harshly.  Was  it  for  this  she  had  thrown  herself 
away?  Fortunately  Emmet  was  too  much  absorbed 
in  himself  to  note  the  suppressed  scorn  and  fury  of 
his  voice. 

"I  did  n't  get  much  chance  for  love,  or  much  love 
from  her,  either,"  he  said  bitterly.  "  She  kept  me 
just  where  I  was  before.  What  did  I  get  ?  A  stolen 
-+  249  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

interview  and  a  kiss  now  and  then,  but  plenty  of 
advice  and  books  and  plans.  She  put  me  up  to  run- 
ning for  mayor ;  I  'm  bound  to  say  that.  But  she 
was  n't  to  acknowledge  me  as  her  husband  until  I 
was  elected.  That  was  the  plan,  and  I  was  fool 
enough  to  agree  to  it.  You  wouldn't  believe  it, 
but  I  did  n't  see  her  sometimes  for  weeks  together. 
Last  winter  she  even  sailed  off  to  Europe  as  cool 
as  a  cucumber,  and  left  me  alone  to  work  out  my 
salvation,  as  she  called  it.  I  worked  it  out,  too.  I 
worked  the  union  for  all  it  was  worth.  I  got  to  be 
president  and  formed  a  secret  league  with  the  other 
unions,  and  we  captured  the  Democratic  nomination 
before  the  opposition  knew  what  we  were  up  to.  All 
that  took  time  and  work,  and  gave  me  something  to 
think  about  besides  my  married  life.  But  when  I 
saw  Felicity  after  that,  it  was  mostly  to  report  pro- 
gress and  to  get  advice.  God  !  It  was  more  like  going 
to  my  teacher  than  to  my  wife,  and  the  thing  be- 
came intolerable.  She  grew  more  mysterious  to  me 
all  the  time.  She  did  n't  seem  like  a  natural  woman, 
and  I  could  n't  understand  her  at  all.  Then  I  met 
the  other  woman  at  a  lodge  dance.  I  took  her  home 
and  kissed  her  at  the  gate,  partly  because  she  was 
a  pretty  girl,  and  partly  because  I  thought  she  ex- 
pected it.  I  thought  that  would  be  the  end  of  it,  but 
it  wasn't.  You  know  how  those  things  grow  into 
something  you  did  n't  expect.  You  can  understand 
how  I  got  in  deeper  and  deeper,  intending  to  break 
-*-  250  -H- 


THE    CONFESSION 


away  all  the  time.  If  you  're  the  man  I  take  you  to  be, 
you  can't  help  understanding.  You  can't  help  seeing 
both  sides  of  the  question,  and  how  I  gradually  got 
mixed  with  this  girl  without  meaning  any  harm, 
until  I  discovered  that  we  loved  each  other,  and  that 
my  wife  had  kept  me  waiting  till  she  had  killed  the 
love  I  once  had  for  her,  and  the  gratitude,  too. 

"  The  situation  came  to  a  head  all  at  once.  Just 
before  the  election,  this  girl  goes  to  work  for  Feli- 
city, and  while  there  she  wears  a  ring  I  let  her  have, 
which  my  wife  had  given  me  as  a  sort  of  kismet,  or 
talisman,  as  she  called  it.  Felicity  sees  it  on  her 
hand,  follows  her  to  her  room,  and  gets  it  back,  after 
having  found  out  all  she  wanted  to  know,  but  with- 
out telling  anything  herself.  Then,  instead  of  com- 
ing to  me  after  the  election,  she  sent  me  a  note  to 
let  me  know  that  she  had  found  me  out,  and  off  she 
went  to  Bermuda  with  her  father." 

"I  see,"  said  Leigh  coldly,  "  but  I  don't  see  yet 
where  I  come  in." 

"  I  want  your  advice,  as  a  friend,"  Emmet  re- 
turned. He  was  still  unsuspicious  of  anything  amiss 
in  his  auditor,  and  went  on  to  tell  of  the  adventure 
that  followed  his  good  resolutions  :  of  his  race  on 
the  avenue ;  of  his  unexpected  meeting  with  Lena 
and  his  sudden  fall;  of  the  encounter  at  the  inn. 
Something  of  the  eloquence  which  Leigh  had  heard 
from  him  on  the  platform  glowed  in  the  apologetic 
passages  of  his  narrative.  If  the  astronomer  had 
-+  251  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

never  known  and  loved  Felicity  himself,  he  could 
not  have  failed  to  be  impressed  by  the  man's  evident 
struggle  ;  he  would  have  appreciated  his  repentance ; 
he  would  have  blamed  his  wife  for  her  conduct,  and 
would  have  realised  that  her  need  of  sympathy  was 
less  than  Lena's  in  proportion  as  her  love  was  less, 
in  proportion  as  her  resources  and  her  pride  were 
greater.  As  it  was,  he  would  have  been  more  than 
human  had  he  taken  such  a  comprehensive  view  of 
the  tragedy,  and  his  judgment  went  bitterly  against 
the  man  who  had  dared  to  esteem  lightly  the  gift 
which  he  felt  he  would  have  given  his  all  to  possess. 

"  Now,"  Emmet  said,  in  conclusion,  "  you  're  a 
friend  of  mine  and  a  friend  of  my  wife's,  and  I 
thought  —  perhaps  "  — 

"  You  want  me  to  be  a  go-between  ?  "  Leigh  de- 
manded. "  You  want  me  to  help  you  win  her  back  ?  " 

"  That 's  what  I  was  thinking  of,"  the  mayor 
replied.  "  Tell  her  I  mean  to  do  the  right  thing, 
that  I  meant  to  all  along.  Somehow  I  think  she  '11 
understand  better  if  you  tell  her.  You  stand  half- 
way between  us,  and  can  see  both  points  of  view. 
Now  that  I  'm  mayor  and  established  in  life,  the 
bishop  need  n't  feel  that  he  'd  be  disgraced  by  the 
marriage.  I  can  hold  my  own  with  the  old  gentle- 
man now.  She 's  my  wife,  and  I  want  her  to  acknow- 
ledge it.  The  account  is  pretty  even  as  things  stand, 
I  take  it." 

Leigh  smiled  scornfully  at  Emmet's  claim  of  social 
-+  252  +- 


THE    CONFESSION 


equality  with  the  bishop,  based  upon  his  position  as 
mayor.  Not  that  office,  but  only  the  fact  that  he 
was  Felicity's  husband,  would  give  him  an  entrance 
into  the  bishop's  house,  and  the  claim  seemed  to  him 
boastful  and  vulgar.  He  rose  abruptly  to  his  feet, 
every  muscle  tense. 

"No,  I  can't  see  both  points  of  view,"  he  said 
hoarsely.  "  I  can  see  only  her  point  of  view,  what 
she  is,  what  she  meant  to  do  for  you,  what  she  gave 
you"- 

"What  she  gave  me! "  Emmet  echoed,  springing 
to  his  feet  in  turn.  "  Hold  on,  professor.  Be  fair  to 
a  man.  She  gave  me'nothing  that  a  wife  should  give, 
I  tell  you,  nothing !  She  left  me  at  the  very  door  of 
the  church  and  went  off  alone"  — 

"What!"  Leigh  cried.  His  revulsion  of  feeling 
was  so  great  that  he  tottered  and  leaned  against  the 
wall  for  support.  Only  one  thought  possessed  him, 
that  she  was  not  in  reality  this  man's  wife,  after  all. 
In  the  face  of  her  desertion,  the  mere  words  of  the 
marriage  ceremony  were  as  nothing. 

"  Why,  man,"  he  said,  taking  Emmet  suddenly  by 
the  shoulder,  as  if  he  would  shake  a  comprehension 
of  his  words  into  him,  "you're  not  married,  before 
God  you're  not  married.  What  priestcraft  notion 
has  gotten  hold  of  you  ?  I  tell  you  it 's  all  a  mistake. 
You've  both  made  a  mistake  —  and  you've  both 
found  it  out.  Do  you  suppose,  if  she  really  loved  you, 
she  would  have  gone  away  like  that,  without  giving 
-+  253  -«- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

you  a  chance  to  explain  ?  If  you  really  loved  her, 
would  you  have  kissed  the  first  pretty  girl  that  came 
in  your  way  ?  I  help  you  to  win  her  back !  Get  her 
back  yourself,  if  you  can.  I  hope  you  can't  do  it. 
I  don't  wish  you  the  luck  you  don't  deserve.  Don't 
come  to  me  with  your  troubles  ! " 

Emmet  wrenched  himself  violently  away  and  stood 
aghast. 

"  You  love  her  yourself,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  of 
wonder. 

"  And  if  I  do,"  Leigh  retorted  defiantly,  iC  what 
is  that  to  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  Emmet  answered,  "  nothing."  And 
turning  like  one  stupefied,  he  walked  slowly  away 
without  another  word. 


FURNITURE  AND    FAMILY 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FURNITURE   AND    FAMILY 

J_T  was  not  without  a  painful  self-consciousness  that 
Leigh  and  Emmet  met  again  after  their  strange 
interview  on  the  tower.  In  a  city  of  between  fifty 
and  one  hundred  thousand  people,  with  compara- 
tively few  large  arteries  of  trade,  a  chance  encoun- 
ter sooner  or  later  was  inevitable.  It  occurred  one 
afternoon  in  a  large  crowd  of  Christmas  shoppers. 
Either  would  have  been  glad  of  a  forewarning  and 
a  chance  to  look  casually  in  another  direction,  but 
neither  was  prepared,  when  they  came  face  to  face, 
to  give  the  cut  direct.  Their  greeting  was  scarcely 
more  than  a  nod,  and  showed  their  mutual  constraint. 
Leigh  read  in  Emmet's  bold  eyes  a  warning  such  as 
an  injured  husband  might  convey  to  the  man  that 
had  wronged  him,  and  a  defiant  reassertion  of  him- 
self after  his  humiliating  confession.  He  suspected 
also,  what  indeed  was  the  truth,  that  the  discovery 
of  his  own  feeling  for  the  bishop's  daughter  had 
opened  Emmet's  eyes  anew  to  her  value,  and  had 
cleared  them  of  the  mists  of  passion  for  the  unfor- 
tunate Lena  Harpster.  From  now  on  the  mayor 
would  do  his  best  to  win  his  wife  back.  He  had  the 
-*  255  ■«- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

bearing  of  one  who  had  recovered  his  poise  and 
meant  to  yield  no  inch  of  ground. 

Leigh,  absorbed  in  the  impression  he  had  received, 
was  unconscious  of  the  one  he  had  given,  of  his  some- 
what repellent  expression  when  he  saw  the  mayor's 
square  figure  bearing  down  upon  him.  Yet  his  emo- 
tion was  less  personal  and  intense  than  the  other's 
in  proportion  as  he  was  less  primitive  by  nature 
and  training.  He  distinguished  between  Emmet  the 
mayor  and  Emmet  the  lover;  for  he  was  familiar 
with  the  phenomenon  of  official  probity  combined 
with  a  lack  of  that  quality  in  some  personal  rela- 
tionship. Had  Emmet's  quandary  been  presented  to 
him  abstractly,  he  would  have  been  quite  tolerant  in 
his  judgement,  with  the  understanding  of  a  man  of 
the  world ;  but,  in  spite  of  resentment  and  chagrin, 
he  still  continued  to  love  Felicity  Wy  cliff  e,  and  this 
fact  made  him  scornful  of  the  man  who  had  trampled 
her  gift  under  foot.  But  would  Felicity  continue  to 
give? 

Leigh  believed  that  she  had  awakened  from  her 
delusion ;  but  what  direction  would  her  pride  now 
take?  Would  she  continue  in  the  course  she  had 
chosen  in  sheer  perversity,  in  sheer  fidelity  to  her- 
self? There  was  also  the  attraction  of  extreme  op- 
posites  to  be  reckoned  with,  the  fascination  which  a 
man  of  simple  psychology,  of  strength  and  whole- 
some good  looks,  might  possess  for  a  woman  of 
great  sublety  and  cultivation.  Yet  what  could  he 
-+  256  +- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

do  to  prevent  it  ?  With  what  grace  could  he  attempt 
to  open  her  eyes  to  her  husband's  ulterior  motives 
in  seeking  a  reconciliation,  now  that  she  knew  of 
his  own  love  for  her?  Could  he  advise  her  to  get 
a  divorce  on  some  technical  ground,  that  she  might 
marry  the  man  who  had  opened  her  eyes  to  the 
truth?  And  how  could  he  assume  that  to  her  he 
was  an  element  in  the  situation  ? 

After  his  first  emotion  in  learning  that  she  had 
never  lived  with  her  husband,  and  his  consequent 
conviction  that  she  regarded  the  marriage  as  a  mis- 
take, the  ceremony  itself  loomed  up  as  a  grim  fact, 
one  not  to  be  brushed  aside  by  ingenious  argu- 
ments. Behind  it,  as  a  prop  to  its  stability,  was 
the  strict  tradition  of  Christianity,  an  inheritance 
of  peculiar  influence  with  both  the  participants  in 
the  strange  mistake.  There  was  no  cause  for  divorce 
which  either  of  their  respective  churches  recognised 
as  valid ;  at  least,  so  he  believed,  for  he  did  not 
doubt  that  Emmet  had  told  him  the  whole  truth  in 
regard  to  Lena  Harpster,  and  he  felt  sure  that  he 
would  now  avoid  the  very  appearance  of  evil.  He 
recognised  also  that  he  was  the  recipient  of  a  con- 
fession he  must  regard  as  sacred.  Felicity  must 
not  know  he  shared  her  secret.  His  part  must  be 
merely  that  of  a  spectator  of  a  drama. 

These  were  his  thoughts  as  he  wandered  from 
place  to  place,  trying  to  convince  himself  that  he 
had  reached  a  point  of  renunciation ;  but  as  often 
-h  257  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

as  her  face  rose  up  before  him  he  wavered  in  his  res- 
olution, and  went  back  to  the  conviction  that  she 
really  did  not  love  the  man  who  was  only  technically 
her  husband.  Might  not  her  treatment  of  himself  be 
capable  of  a  more  favourable  interpretation  than  his 
first  anger  and  chagrin  had  put  upon  it  ?  He  felt 
that  it  would  depend  upon  her,  when  she  returned, 
whether  he  could  maintain  a  feigned  indifference. 

He  purchased  a  pipe  for  Cardington,  and  ulti- 
mately found  himself  in  a  large  department  store 
turning  over  the  volumes  on  the  book  counter  in 
search  of  a  gift  for  his  father.  Presently  he  heard  a 
voice  at  his  elbow. 

"Are  you  engaged  in  Christmas  shopping  too, 
Mr.  Leigh?  " 

He  turned  and  saw  Mrs.  Parr  looking  at  him  ten- 
tatively, her  hands  full  of  bundles.  A  remembrance 
of  his  rudeness  to  her  at  Littleford's  caused  him  to 
welcome  this  opportunity  to  make  amends.  She  was 
Felicity's  nearest  friend,  and  perhaps  she  would 
mention  her  name.  Moreover,  the  fact  that  Emmet 
suspected  her  of  having  divined  his  secret,  and  her 
meeting  with  him  and  Lena  at  the  inn,  gave  her  a 
new  interest  in  his  eyes. 

"  Yes,  Mrs.  Parr,"  he  returned.  "  I  'm  doing 
as  well  as  a  mere  man  can  be  expected  to  do,  which 
is  n't  very  well.  Perhaps  you  can  come  to  my  as- 
sistance." 

She  placed  her  bundles  on  the  counter  with  alac-' 
-+  258  -i- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

rity,  and  her  thin,  gloved  hand  hovered  over  the 
rows  of  volumes. 

"  You  must  give  me  some  hint  as  to  the  destina- 
tion of  the  gift,"  she  declared,  turning  upon  him 
-with  a  sparrow-like  motion  of  the  head  and  a  signi- 
ficant smile. 

"  No,"  he  said,  laughing  at  her  intimation,  "  it 
is  n't  what  you  suspect.  I  want  a  book  for  an  old- 
fashioned  gentleman,  past  middle  life.  There  seems 
to  be  nothing  here  but  the  latest  novels." 

"  As  to  that,"  she  responded,  "  the  bishop  reads 
everything,  from  the  Talmud  to  a  Nick  Carter  de- 
tective story." 

"  Neither  of  the  classics  you  mention  will  fit  the 
present  case,  however." 

"  I  know  ! "  she  cried.  "  <  The  Bible  in  Spain.' 
You  need  n't  look  dubious ;  it  is  n't  a  Sunday-school 
book,  as  you  might  think  from  the  title.  You  may 
be  sure  that  Felicity  Wycliffe  would  n't  like  insipid 
literature,  and  this  is  one  of  her  favourite  books." 

Leigh's  dubious  look  had  not  been  due  to  igno- 
rance of  the  book,  but  to  a  doubt  as  to  whether  his 
father  possessed  it.  On  reflection,  he  thought  the 
choice  a  safe  one,  and  his  reply  left  his  adviser 
undisturbed  in  her  conviction  that  she  was  admit- 
ting him  into  the  select  circle  of  Borrovians. 

"The  recommendation  goes,"  he  said.    "Not,"  he 
corrected  himself,  "  that  I  would  not  have  purchased 
it  upon  yours  alone,  Mrs.  Parr." 
-h  259  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  vain  of  my  knowledge  of  books/' 
she  assured  him.  "  Miss  Wy cliff e  is  my  literary  con- 
science. I  do  miss  her  so  much !  When  she  's  away, 
I  'm  only  half  a  person,  I  declare ;  and  when  she 's 
here,  I  'm  just  nobody  at  all,  because  I  lose  myself 
in  her." 

"  You  make  the  friendships  of  men  pale  into  insig- 
nificance," he  remarked  jestingly,  yet  not  without  a 
new  respect,  inspired  by  this  glimpse  of  her  capacity 
for  loyalty  to  one  who  overshadowed  her. 

"  If  you  only  knew  her ! "  she  said.  "  But  you 
don't." 

He  could  not  help  wondering  which  of  them  knew 
the  more  about  one  great  incident  in  her  life,  but 
he  merely  echoed  her  words  with  a  rueful  conviction 
of  his  own  :  "  No,  I  don't." 

She  regarded  him  with  sympathetic  understand- 
ing. Of  course  he  was  infatuated  with  Felicity,  like 
many  others,  and  undoubtedly  his  chances  were  as 
remote  as  theirs. 

"  Now  tell  me,"  she  said,  "  what  you  are  going  to 
get  for  the  rest  of  your  family." 

"  That 's  what  I  want  you  to  tell  me,"  he  answered. 

"  Follow  me,  then,"  she  said  brightly,  "  and  I  '11 
see  that  you  don't  get  imposed  upon." 

He  took  the  book  and  her  bundles,  and  they  left 

the  counter  on  the  best  of  terms.    Though  he  was 

hopelessly  in  love  with  another,  a  knowledge  of  Mrs. 

Parr's  partiality  for  him  lent  a  certain  charm  to  his 

-+  260  *- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

manner.  Without  attaching  any  weight  to  the  fancy 
Miss  Wycliffe  had  told  him  of,  he  was  sufficiently 
human  to  enjoy  being  liked  and  to  make  some  re- 
sponse. At  his  first  meeting  with  Mrs.  Parr  she  had 
seemed  merely  insignificant ;  at  Littleford's  he  had 
found  her  irritating ;  now,  to  his  astonishment,  he 
discovered  in  her  worship  of  Felicity  her  attractive 
side.  When  they  finally  left  the  shop  with  their  ac- 
cumulated purchases,  she  insisted  that  he  follow  her 
into  the  sleigh  and  go  to  her  home  for  a  cup  of  tea. 

"  People  are  so  inconsiderate  during  the  Christ- 
mas season,"  she  chattered.  "Now  I  never  have 
my  things  sent  home  at  this  time  of  year,  when  the 
delivery  men  are  so  overworked ;  and  I  don't  even 
bother  the  boys  to  carry  them  out  to  the  sleigh  for 
me,  unless  I  positively  have  to.  John  and  I  do  our 
shopping  together,  don't  we,  John  ?  " 

The  coachman  touched  his  hat  with  his  whip  in 
acknowledgement  of  the  copartnership  in  humanita- 
rianism,  and  deftly  steered  his  horses  into  the  open 
street.  "  I  belong  to  a  league  of  women,"  she  went 
on,  "who  have  agreed  not  to  go  shopping  in  the 
late  afternoons,  and  not  to  have  the  things  they  can 
carry  sent  by  the  delivery  waggons.  I  don't  know 
how  many  printed  slips  I  have  sent  out  requesting 
shoppers  to  use  the  same  consideration.  We  looked 
up  nearly  every  name  in  the  directory.  This  is  the 
third  year  we  've  done  it." 

"  That 's  why  I  did  n't  receive  a  copy  of  your 
-+  261  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

communication/ '  he  remarked.  "  My  name  's  not  in 
the  directory  yet." 

"  You  would  n't  believe  what  fun  Felicity  always 
makes  of  us/'  she  said.  "  She  pretends  that  we  are 
trying  to  excuse  people  from  doing  what  they  are 
paid  to  do." 

He  was  able  to  see  how  the  virtue  of  the  league 
could  appeal  to  Felicity's  sense  of  humour,  even 
though  she  might  accept  its  suggestion. 

"  There  's  that  man  !  "  she  cried,  suddenly  stiffen- 
ing. "It  seems  to  me  I  can  never  go  down-town 
without  meeting  the  horrid  creature  somewhere, 
strutting  along  as  if  he  owned  the  town,  just  be- 
cause a  lot  of  ruffians  have  made  him  mayor.  But 
I  believe  Felicity  has  won  you  over  to  her  strange 
point  of  view." 

"  Emmet  is  n't  at  all  a  bad  mayor,"  he  returned. 
"I  happen  to  know  that  he  has  refused  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  Bat  Quayle,  the  political  boss 
of  the  worst  element  of  his  party.  What  do  you  say 
to  that?" 

"  That  you  have  been  misinformed,"  she  answered 
implacably,  "  or  that  he  has  gone  back  on  his  word, 
and  now  refuses  to  pay  his  political  debts." 

"In  either  case  you  don't  leave  him  a  leg  to 
stand  on.  Still,  I  can  only  reiterate  my  conviction 
in  regard  to  his  political  honesty,  and  wait  for  devel- 
opments." 

"I  notice  you  don't  make  any  claims  for  his 
-J-  262  +- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

private  character,"  she  retorted,  giving  him  a  severe 
glance.  "But  men  have  their  own  code  of  morals, 
and  always  stand  by  each  other.  Now  I  happen  to 
know  that  he  is  running  around  with  one  of  Feli- 
city's servants.  Out  at  the  Old  Continental,  the 
other  evening,  we  found  them  in  possession  of  a 
room  we  had  engaged  for  dinner.  He  practically 
ordered  us  out  of  the  place  until  he  and  Miss  Harp- 
ster,  as  he  called  her,  chose  to  take  their  departure. 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  thing  in  your  life?" 

"  Never,"  he  answered.  "  Emmet  would  be  quite 
a  catch  for  her,  would  n't  he  ?  " 

She  threw  up  her  hands  with  a  gesture  of  infinite 
scorn.  "He  never  in  this  world  intends  to  marry 
her.    I  'm  sure  of  that." 

He  wondered  whether  she  guessed  how  truly  she 
had  spoken,  but  her  face  was  sphinx-like  in  its  hard 
acerbity.  She  seemed  to  shrink  and  grow  pinched 
with  the  intensity  of  her  emotion,  and  her  next 
words,  spoken  almost  as  a  soliloquy,  showed  the 
trend  of  her  thoughts. 

"  I  had  n't  quite  made  up  my  mind  to  write  to 
Felicity  yet,  but  now  I  will,  this  very  night.  She 
ought  not  to  let  such  a  girl  stay  in  the  house.  But 
I  'm  afraid  my  writing  will  only  make  her  determined 
—  she 's  so  perverse." 

The  words  only  completed  his  mystification.  It 
now  occurred  to  him  that  this  might  be  merely  the 
excessive  virtue  of  a  New  Englander,  that  Mrs.  Parr 
-+  263  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

merely  wished  to  save  her  friend  from  the  mortifi- 
cation of  a  scandal  belowstairs  in  her  house.  Her 
prejudice  against  Emmet  was  sufficient  to  explain 
her  belief  in  his  bad  intentions  regarding  Lena 
Harpster. 

"On  second  thoughts  I  sha'n't  do  it,"  she  de- 
clared, with  a  curious  gleam  in  her  eyes ;  then  she 
closed  her  lips  firmly,  as  if  to  dismiss  the  subject. 

Leigh  could  only  guess  why  she  had  changed  her 
mind,  and  had  suddenly  decided  to  let  matters  take 
their  course.  Assuming  that  she  knew  nothing  of 
Emmet's  true  relationship  with  Felicity  and  thought 
merely  that  her  friend  was  infatuated  with  him,  it 
was  possible  that  she  might  even  welcome  a  moral 
breakdown  on  Emmet's  part,  provided  it  would  open 
Felicity's  eyes  to  his  true  quality.  He  was  tempted 
to  believe  that  Mrs.  Parr  would  willingly  let  Lena 
be  sacrificed  to  accomplish  this  result.  The  various 
possibilities  that  lay  concealed  behind  his  compan- 
ion's enigmatical  features  were  bewildering,  and  the 
subject  was  too  delicate  for  further  probing.  As 
the  fine  vista  of  Birdseye  Avenue  opened  up  before 
them,  he  turned  the  subject  by  remarking  that 
Christmas  never  seemed  so  truly  Christmas  as  in 
New  England.    The  dictum  was  a  happy  one. 

"  Yes,"  she  assented  with  fervour,   "  and  is  n't 

Warwick   beautiful  ?   I   never   go   away,    even   to 

Europe,  without  realising  when  I  come  back  that 

Warwick  is  the  most  beautiful  place  in  the  world. 

-*•  264  -i- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

Thank  God,  I  was  born  and  brought  up  in  New 
England ! " 

"  And  thank  God,  I  was  n't !  "  he  retorted. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  she  demanded, 
turning  upon  him  with  shocked  asperity. 

"  I  merely  mean  that  my  view  would  have  been 
limited  for  life  to  the  vista  that  may  be  obtained 
from  the  steps  of  the  First  Church  —  not  that  it 
is  n't  a  fine  one,  in  its  way." 

The  genial  banter  of  his  tone  softened  her  resent- 
ment to  curiosity. 

"  Where  in  Heaven's  name  were  you  brought 
up  ?  "  she  asked. 

u  Let  me  see.  An  account  of  my  peregrinations 
would  read  like  a  list  of  most  of  the  States  of  the 
Union.  One  gets  an  idea  of  the  country  by  such  a 
nomadic  existence,  and  does  n't  make  the  mistake  of 
supposing  that  the  tail  wags  the  dog,  instead  of  the 
dog  wagging  the  tail." 

"  I  suppose  you  mean  to  imply  that  New  England 
is  the  tail,"  she  said  with  trembling  intensity,  "when 
every  one  knows  it's  the  head  and  brains  of  the 
country.  I've  never  been  west  of  Niagara  Falls, 
and  I  'm  proud  of  it." 

"  You  have  reason  to  be,"  he  replied  with  gravity. 
"  I  was  only  testing  your  loyalty.  Where  is  our 
Mecca  of  patriotism  and  literature,  if  it  is  n't  New 
England?  My  remark  about  the  New  England 
Christmas  was  suggested  by  a  memory  of  *  Snow- 
-+  265  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Bound/  which  was  one  of  the  classics  of  my  youth, 
when  I  used  to  look  out  discontentedly  upon  our 
inferior  Western  brand  of  snow." 

"  I  can't  make  you  out/'  she  said. 

"When  they  entered  the  house,  she  laid  aside  her 
wraps  and  gave  him  a  cup  of  tea,  supplemented  by  the 
thinnest  of  thin  wafers,  after  which  she  conducted 
him  from  room  to  room  on  a  tour  of  inspection. 

"  Are  you  interested  in  Colonial  furniture  ?  "  she 
questioned. 

"  I  'm  anxious  to  learn  enough  about  it  to  get 
interested,"  he  assured  her.  "I  see  you  have  a 
great  deal  of  it  here." 

"  A  great  many  people  have,"  she  answered.  "  It 's 
easy  enough  to  pick  up  imitations  in  the  second-hand 
shops,  or  to  ransack  country  houses ;  but  these  pieces 
are  all  genuine  and  have  been  in  the  family  for 
generations.  There  are  three  Chippendales  that  be- 
longed to  my  grandfather  on  my  mother's  side, 
Colonel  Styles,  and  this  is  a  Sheraton.  That  mahog- 
any table  with  the  low-hanging  leaves  is  a  genuine 
Pembroke.  Do  you  see  that  newel-post  ?  It 's  the 
only  thing  in  the  house  we  did  n't  inherit.  We  got 
it  from  the  old  Putney  mansion  when  they  were 
tearing  it  down  to  make  room  for  the  library.  When 
I  heard  they  were  destroying  the  house,  I  sent  Mr. 
Parr  there  to  see  what  he  could  pick  up,  and  he 
found  this  beautiful  thing  thrown  in  the  corner,  as 
if  it  had  no  value  at  all.  Think  of  it !  " 
-+  266  *- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

Leigh  owned  that  it  was  a  prize  of  no  small  value. 

"  You  may  say  so/'  she  went  on,  warming  to  the 
subject,  "  and  it  cost  us  twenty-five  dollars.  When 
they  found  out  we  wanted  it,  they  put  up  the  price. 
Mrs.  Bradford  has  never  gotten  over  it  that  we  stole 
a  march  on  her,  for  she  meant  to  get  it  herself.  Do 
you  know  Mrs.  Bradford  ?  " 

"  Miss  Wycliffe  made  me  acquainted  with  her  at 
Littleford's.  I  remember  hearing  that  she  was  promi- 
nent in  the  First  Church  and  very  much  interested 
in  historical  relics." 

"  Her  husband  is  one  of  the  Bradfords,"  with  an 
emphasis  on  the  definite  article,  "  descended  from 
Governor  Bradford,  and  she  is  president  of  the 
Society  for  the  Preservation  of  Colonial  Landmarks, 
and  also  of  the  Daughters." 

"The  Daughters  of  the  King?"  he  inquired  mali- 
ciously. 

"  The  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution," 
she  corrected. 

"I  did  n't  know,"  he  explained ;  "I  used  to  hear 
of  the  other  '  daughters '  from  an  aunt  of  mine ; 
but  her  chief  hobby  was  bishops." 

"  The  Episcopalians  are  in  a  small  minority  here," 
she  informed  him.  "  Most  of  the  old  families  go  to 
the  First  Church.  I  was  brought  up  there,  but  Miss 
Wycliffe  has  made  me  a  kind  of  half  Episcopalian, 
so  that  I  go  to  St.  George's  sometimes  with  her.  But 
speaking  of  the  Bradfords,  you  have  no  idea  how 
-+  267  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

many  obscure  people  claim  to  be  descended  from 
Governor  Bradford.  Now,  I  am  a  genuine  Bradford 
on  my  father's  side." 

"  The  old  governor  must  have  been  the  Adam  of 
these  parts,"  he  commented. 

She  picked  up  a  volume  from  a  near-by  table. 
"This  is  the  real  Bradford  genealogy,"  she  an- 
nounced. 

They  continued  their  progress  through  the  house, 
viewing  hautboys,  and  clocks,  and  tables,  and  tap- 
estries, and  chairs.  Leigh  had  extracted  all  the 
amusement  for  himself  that  the  subject  and  the 
narrator  could  offer,  and  he  began  to  grow  inatten- 
tive. The  long  roll  of  names  and  of  styles  of  fur- 
niture, hitherto  unfamiliar,  confused  him,  and  the 
constant  reiteration  of  the  local  point  of  view  seemed 
an  almost  incredible  provincialism.  When  they  re- 
turned at  last  to  the  drawing-room,  Mr.  Parr,  just 
returned  from  his  office,  rose  to  greet  him. 

"  And  how  do  you  like  Warwick  ?  "  he  demanded. 
"You  show  your  good  taste,"  he  approved,  when 
Leigh  had  complimented  the  beauty  of  the  city,  "-and 
Warwick  is  a  very  cultivated  place  as  well.  Have  n't 
you  found  it  so  ?  There  are  a  great  many  rich  people 
here,  but  you  see  no  display  of  wealth,  as  in  New 
York." 

"I  hate  New  York,"  his  wife  put  in.  "It's  so 
frightfully  commercial." 

Mr.  Parr,  having  delivered  himself  of  the  articles 
-•■  268  ■+- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

of  his  belief,  resumed  his  role  as  the  silent  part- 
ner of  the  house.  He  was  a  large,  slow  man,  whose 
history  seemed  to  be  the  history  of  the  dinners  he 
had  eaten.  In  his  eyes  smouldered  a  dull  glow,  as 
of  resentment  at  the  limits  of  the  human  stomach 
and  the  volubility  of  wives.  He  woke  up  as  his 
visitor  prepared  to  depart,  to  inform  him  that  the 
thermometer  had  registered  twenty  degrees  of  frost 
that  morning,  and  to  express  the  conviction  that 
Warwick  would  spoil  him  for  residence  hereafter  in 
any  other  city.  Leigh  assured  him  that  there  was  no 
doubt  of  it,  and  went  out  into  the  winter  twilight, 
homesick  for  the  full,  crude  life  of  the  Middle  West, 
for  the  picturesque  civilisation  of  California,  for  the 
smoke  and  splendour  and  roar  of  New  York. 

As  he  passed  the  bishop 's  darkened  house,  he  felt 
that  it  was  out  of  the  question  for  him  to  spend  the 
Christmas  recess  in  the  deserted  college  on  the  hill. 
He  resolved  to  run  away  from  himself,  to  seek  dis- 
traction from  the  riddle  of  his  existence  by  a  visit 
to  the  metropolis,  to  change  his  sky  in  the  hope  of 
changing  his  mind.  The  increasing  cold,  and  the 
dun  canopy  of  cloud  that  had  overspread  the  sky 
for  days,  convinced  him  of  the  futility  of  attempt- 
ing to  continue  his  observations  at  present.  To- 
morrow he  would  join  in  the  general  hegira  from 
the  Hall. 

He  walked  back  to  the  college,  and  seeing  a  light 
in  Cardington  's  room,  he  knocked  at  the  door.  His 
-+  269  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

friend  was  seated  in  the  chair  he  never  seemed  to 
leave. 

"  Ah/'  he  said,  observing  his  visitor's  bundles, 
"  you  come  in  like  a  Santa  Claus  coadjutor,  a  youth- 
ful Santa  Claus,  not  yet  dignified  by  that  hirsute 
appendage  to  the  chin  without  which  no  Santa  Claus 
is  complete." 

Leigh  admitted  that  he  was  a  feeble  imitation, 
and  produced  the  briar-wood  pipe  from  his  pocket. 
Cardington  was  greatly  pleased. 

" Thank  you,"  he  said;  "thank  you.  I  shall  break 
the  amber  stem,  sooner  or  later,  but  I  shall  have  it 
replaced  by  one  of  vulcanised  rubber,  and  shall  con- 
tinue to  cherish  the  gift  though  mutatus  db  illo. 
If  you  don't  mind,  I  '11  initiate  it  now,  without  wait- 
ing for  Christmas  day."  He  suited  the  action  to 
the  words  and  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  puffing.  "  A 
new  pipe  is  like  —  a  new  pair  of  shoes  —  necessary 
—  inevitable  —  but  it  must  be  broken  in.  I  see 
promise  already  of  sweetness  —  great  sweetness  — 
in  this  briar." 

"  Mrs.  Parr  picked  me  up  and  took  me  home  for 
a  cup  of  tea,"  Leigh  said.  "  And  there  I  met  Mr. 
Parr." 

"  Well,  and  how  did  you  enjoy  our  excellent 
friends,  the  Parrs?"  Cardington  queried,  leaning 
back  in  his  chair  with  an  expectant  twinkle  in  his 
eyes. 

"I  felt  that  I  was  visiting  a  storage  warehouse 

-+  270  +- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

filled  with  old  furniture,  in  the  midst  of  which 
stood  Parr  like  a  wax  figure  escaped  from  the 
Eden  Muse'e." 

"I  can  well  understand  that/'  Cardington  com- 
mented, with  a  chuckle.  "And  you  learned  some- 
thing, doubtless,  about  the  old  newel-post  that  was 
taken  from  the  Putney  mansion,  which  I  hope  you 
admired  adequately,  about  the  old  clock,  the  tables, 
and  the  chairs.  You  heard  the  respectable  names 
also  of  the  respectable  Parrs'  ancestors,  and  Mr.  Parr 
asked  you  how  you  liked  Warwick,  after  which  he 
told  you  how  he  liked  it  himself." 

"  Your  astral  body  must  have  accompanied  me," 
Leigh  suggested. 

"  I  could  report  the  conversation  verbatim,"  Car- 
dington declared.  "  She  told  you,  among  other 
things,  that  she  was  a  genuine  Bradford  on  her 
father's  side,  and  uttered  bulls  of  excommunication 
against  pretenders  to  the  honour.  It  would  n't  do, 
you  know,  to  admit  that  the  Bradford  progeny  is 
as  numerous  as  the  stars  for  multitude,  and  as  the 
sands  upon  the  seashore.  It  is  advisable  to  restrict 
the  genuine  Bradfords  to  those  of  wealth  and  po- 
sition. Now,  this  genealogical  mania  is  a  kind  of 
midsummer  madness  that  lasts  in  Warwick  the  year 
through,  a  lineal  descendant,  so  to  speak,  of  the 
witchcraft  delusion ;  but  it  offers  a  certain  kind  of 
mental  pemmican  to  impoverished  minds.  Those 
much  vaunted  ancestors  were  very  worthy  people, 
r+  271  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

but,  bless  you !  there  was  n't  a  social  swell  in  the 
whole  lot." 

"  Out  West  one  never  hears  of  such  things/'  said 
Leigh. 

"  Out  West/'  Cardington  returned,  "  they  are  still 
grappling  with  the  realities  of  life.  Ancestor  wor- 
ship has  not  yet  set  in  as  a  canker  in  the  fruit ;  that 
will  come  with  the  dead  ripeness.  Here  you  see  the 
New  Englander  as  he  is  to-day,  not  as  he  was  in  a 
glorified  past;  not  landing  at  Plymouth  Rock,  not 
hanging  witches,  or  beating  Quakers,  or  persecuting 
Episcopalians,  not  throwing  tea  into  Boston  Har- 
bour, or  writing  philosophy  at  Concord,  but  spend- 
ing his  days  in  watching  the  gradual  accretion  of 
his  already  substantial  fortune. 

"  A  New  Englander  is  the  only  jewel  that  ap- 
pears to  better  advantage  out  of  its  proper  setting 
than  in  it.  To  illustrate.  In  the  West,  the  New  Eng- 
lander is  thawed  without  being  melted  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  lose  his  backbone ;  he  becomes  genial 
without  undue  compromise ;  he  carries  the  torch  of 
civilisation  without  a  flourish.  It  was  the  chosen 
spirits  of  New  England,  men  and  women,  that  went 
West  in  their  great  waggons  with  the  pots  and  pans 
hanging  from  the  axle,  and  salted  that  crude  country 
with  their  quality. 

"  But  the  conversation  has  become  very  oracular," 
he  continued.  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  during 
the  recess?" 

-H-272  1- 


FURNITURE    AND    FAMILY 

"I'm  going  home,  and  shall  stop  over  in  New- 
York  for  a  visit  on  my  way  back.  But  where  are 
you  going  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  may  take  a  little  run  down  to  Bermuda 
and  see  the  bishop  and  Miss  Felicity.  Just  think  of 
leaving  all  this  ice  and  snow,  and  about  the  second 
day  out  beginning  to  shed  your  superfluous  outer 
garments,  until  you  arrive  at  your  destination  in 
white  duck  trousers  and  a  Panama  hat !  Think  of 
the  odour  of  lilies,  not  to  mention  the  onions !  And 
there  I  shall  find  Miss  Felicity,  looking  like  the 
goddess  Flora,  wandering  in  those  beautiful  lily- 
fields  that  command  a  wide  sweep  of  the  purple  sea. 
It 's  enough  to  stir  one  to  poetry,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

"I  wish  I  might  go  with  you,"  Leigh  remarked. 

A  film  seemed  to  come  over  Cardington's  blue 
eyes,  just  the  suggestion  of  a  veil  of  secrecy. 

"Yes  —  yes  —  if  you  hadn't  made  other  plans, 
you  know.  But  you  must  go  down  there  some  win- 
ter, you  must  indeed.  It 's  really  a  most  charming 
place." 

"  Well,"  Leigh  said,  rising  and  taking  up  his 
bundles,  "give  the  bishop  and  Miss  Wycliffe  my 
regards." 

"  I  will,"  Cardington  promised.  "  Perhaps  they 
will  return  with  me.  I  '11  take  your  excellent  pipe 
along  to  smoke  on  the  Gulf  Stream  and  among  the 
lilies.    Good-bye ! " 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   PRESIDENT  TAKES   A    HAND 

V./NE  evening  late  in  January,  Leigh  entered  Car- 
dington's  room  with  his  post-prandial  pipe  still  burn- 
ing. 

"What  do  you  say,"  he  demanded,  "to  going 
down  to  the  opera  house  to  hear  the  President  of  the 
United  States  speak  ?  Here  I  've  been  shut  up  all 
day,  and  forgot  what  was  going  on  till  I  picked  up 
the  paper  just  now.  I  'm  ripe  for  some  excitement, 
the  mood  which  in  my  undergraduate  days  would 
have  tempted  me  to  go  out  and  paint  the  town."  He 
threw  himself  into  a  chair,  looked  about  with  a  sense 
of  being  at  home,  and  passed  his  fingers  wearily 
through  the  disordered  masses  of  his  hair. 

The  other  looked  at  him  attentively.  "  You  make 
a  great  mistake,"  he  remarked,  "  in  allowing  your- 
self to  get  out  of  condition.  With  a  reasonable  re- 
gard to  the  laws  of  health,  you  could  keep  yourself 
looking  like  the  discus-thrower,  thinly  disguised  in 
modern  habiliments."  He  spoke  like  an  impersonal 
judge,  who  appreciates  the  excellence  of  a  type  and 
wishes  to  see  it  maintained. 

Leigh  laughed  with  some  bitterness.  "You  re- 
-+  274  -*- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


member  what  the  German  professor  said  to  his 
American  student  when  he  wished  to  take  a  rest. 
1  Who  ever  heard  of  a  real  mathematician  with  any 
health  ?"' 

"  Ah,  yes,"  Cardington  returned,  with  a  compre- 
hending look  in  his  eyes,  "  but  I  'm  afraid  you  had 
too  good  a  time  down  there  in  New  York,  and  that 
now  you  're  working  too  hard  by  way  of  penance. 
But  in  regard  to  your  suggestion,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  favourably  of  it.  Not  that  the  President  per 
se  is  an  object  of  great  interest  to  me.  His  mental 
processes  are  tolerably  familiar,  and  I  don't  feel 
particularly  in  need  of  instruction  concerning  my 
duty  toward  God  and  my  duty  toward  my  neighbour. 
Still,  this  is  an  occasion  of  more  than  usual  interest, 
as  perhaps  you  are  aware." 

A  change  had  come  into  the  relationship  of  these 
two,  or  rather  a  readjustment  of  the  view  of  the 
younger  man  concerning  the  older,  dating  from  the 
time  when  Cardington  had  disposed  so  neatly  of  his 
tentative  wish  to  accompany  him  to  Bermuda.  He 
had  returned  from  the  South  alone  about  a  fortnight 
before,  quite  uncommunicative  in  regard  to  his  trip, 
merely  saying  that  the  Wycliffes  would  come  by  a 
later  boat.  The  shadow  of  the  woman  in  the  case  was 
undoubtedly  between  them,  and  yet  it  could  not  be 
said  that  jealousy,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word, 
was  operative  as  an  estranging  element.  Leigh  had 
too  much  reason  to  know  that  neither  of  them  had 
-+  275  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

much  chance  of  winning  her,  and  he  thought  he 
divined  in  Cardington  not  so  much  a  lover's  inter- 
est as  a  friend's  deep  concern  on  her  behalf  and  an 
unwillingness  to  mention  her  name  in  casual  con- 
versation. 

Upon  the  present  occasion  Leigh  was  impressed 
with  his  air  of  subdued  excitement,  with  a  hint  of 
tension  and  expectancy,  as  if  something  untoward 
were  about  to  happen ;  and  as  they  took  their  way 
toward  the  city  together,  the  reason  of  this  mood 
became  apparent. 

"  Now,  you  know,"  he  began,  "  great  things  were 
happening  this  afternoon,  and  as  I  sometimes  like 
to  view  history  in  the  making,  I  went  out  to  see  what 
I  could  see.  I  'm  afraid  that  our  respected  mayor 
is  destined  to  play  a  very  inconspicuous  role  in  this 
evening's  entertainment.  If  I  am  correctly  informed, 
he  is  not  to  have  a  speaking  part.  As  an  accidental 
mayor,  pitchforked  into  his  present  position  by  For- 
tune in  one  of  her  ironical  moods,  he  is  to  be  allowed 
merely  a  seat  on  the  platform,  where  he  may  be  seen 
but  not  heard.  But  to  go  back  to  the  beginning. 
When  it  was  learned  that  the  President  of  the 
United  States  intended  to  honour  us  with  a  visit  and 
to  stand  and  deliver  a  speech,  it  occurred  to  a  group 
of  representative  citizens  that  a  professional  baseball 
player  and  street-car  conductor  was  scarcely  a  fit 
person  to  receive  so  distinguished  a  guest ;  so  they 
very  properly  resolved  that  his  part  in  the  exercises 
-+  276  +- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


should  be  reduced  to  a  minimum.  To  that  end  a  com- 
mittee, including  among  others  Mr.  Bradford,  Mr. 
Parr,  and  our  worthy  alumnus,  Mr.  Cobbens,  wrote 
a  letter  to  Emmet  in  which  they  suggested  that  his 
speech  of  welcome  at  the  station  be  limited  to  three, 
or  at  the  most  to  five,  minutes.  They  intimated  also 
that  after  the  speech  of  welcome  was  concluded, 
Mr.  Emmet  need  not  concern  himself  further  in  the 
entertainment  of  the  President." 

"I  call  that  beastly  snobbishness,"  said  Leigh 
indignantly.  "  Whatever  the  man's  former  position 
may  have  been,  he  is  now  the  mayor  and  entitled  to 
all  the  honours  of  his  office.  On  the  same  principle, 
the  swells  of  forty  years  ago  might  have  refused  to 
recognise  Lincoln  as  the  President  because  he  once 
split  rails.  And  in  fact  they  practically  did.  He  had 
to  be  dead  before  they  began  to  think  that  his  rise 
in  the  world  was  a  vindication  of  the  equality  of 
opportunity  they  pretended  to  believe  in." 

"'Beastly'  is  perhaps  the  proper  adjective  under 
the  circumstances,"  the  other  admitted,  "but  why 
should  we  lose  sleep  and  shorten  our  days  with  fruit- 
less indignation  because  men  of  a  certain  kind  act 
as  men  of  that  kind  always  have  acted  ?  I  prefer  to 
look  at  the  dramatic  and  humorous  side  of  it,  hav- 
ing, perhaps  unfortunately,  reached  the  speculative 
and  acquiescent  time  of  life.  And  the  situation  at 
the  station  was  not  without  its  amusing  aspect.  Mr. 
Emmet's  well-known  oratorical  powers  being  thus 
■+  277  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

curtailed,  the  President  was  delayed  but  a  few 
minutes  and  then  conducted  to  a  carriage  and  driven 
about  the  city,  attended  by  the  honourable  trio  before 
mentioned.  It  is  said  by  those  who  were  within  ear- 
shot that  the  President  inquired  for  his  friend  the 
mayor,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  to  be  deprived  of 
his  company.  However  that  may  be,  I  myself  saw 
our  tribune  of  the  people  riding  by  himself  in  soli- 
tary grandeur  in  the  third  carriage." 

At  the  memory  of  Emmet's  discomfiture  he  inter- 
rupted his  story  to  indulge  in  one  of  his  silent  laughs, 
an  expression  of  mirth  which,  to  his  listener's  excited 
mind,  seemed  almost  an  inhuman  exhibition  of  his 
professed  detachment  from  the  passions  about  him. 
Perhaps,  had  he  seen  the  dapper  Cobbens  and  the 
lethargic  Parr  escorting  the  unsuspicious  President 
to  the  carriage,  and  Emmet's  expression  as  he  found 
himself  shoved  into  the  third  place  in  the  procession, 
he  might  have  appreciated  his  companion's  sense 
of  the  ridiculous.  But  it  was  the  inward  struggle, 
not  the  outward  aspect,  that  stirred  his  emotions. 
Emmet's  most  bitter  strictures  upon  Cobbens  and  his 
kind  were  justified  by  this  incident,  and  he  imagined 
the  mayor's  sensations  when  he  found  himself  out- 
generalled  and  humiliated.  What  would  Felicity  have 
felt,  had  she  been  present  to  witness  the  scene? 
How  it  might  have  affected  her  toward  her  husband, 
whether  it  would  have  aroused  her  to  champion  him 
the  more,  or  whether  it  would  have  moved  her  to 
-H-  278  «* 


THE    PRESIDENT 


scorn  of  his  stupidity  in  allowing  himself  to  be  put 
aside,  Leigh  could  only  guess  ;  but  his  own  instinct 
was  to  make  common  cause  with  the  man  that  was 
wronged. 

"  And  who  appointed  the  committee/'  he  inquired, 
"if  Emmet  had  nothing  to  do  with  it?" 

"Why,  they  appointed  themselves,  without  any 
more  regard  for  the  mayor  than  if  he  had  been  a 
professor  in  St.  George's  Hall.  Now  perhaps  you 
begin  to  appreciate  why  I  remarked  that  this  was 
an  occasion  of  more  than  ordinary  interest.  Can  we 
doubt  that  word  has  gone  round  among  the  prole- 
tariat that  their  mayor  has  been  insulted,  and  can  we 
doubt  that  they  will  be  at  the  opera  house  in  full 
force  to  express  their  opinion  of  the  committee? 
You  see  now  my  motive  in  coming.  I  am  like  the 
man  that  went  to  the  animal  show  in  the  hope  of 
seeing  the  lion  eat  the  trainer.  In  other  words,  if 
the  people  are  going  to  give  us  a  specimen  of  the 
psychology  of  the  mob,  I  wish  to  be  there  to  enjoy  it. 
Such  a  thing  might  help  one  to  an  appreciation  of 
certain  incidents  in  Roman  history,  like  the  turmoils 
in  the  time  of  the  Gracchi,  and  the  scene  in  the  forum 
when  Mark  Antony  played  on  the  heartstrings  of 
the  populace.  Everything  is  grist  that  comes  to  our 
mill.  Even  a  football  game  is  a  modern  rendition 
of  a  gladiatorial  combat.    Don't  you  think  so  ?" 

When  they  reached  the  edge  of  the  great  throng 
that  already  filled  the  street  in  front  of  the  opera 
-+  279  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

house,  Cardington,  instead  of  plunging  into  it  as 
his  companion  had  anticipated,  turned  down  an  alley, 
like  one  familiar  with  the  locality,  and  led  the  way 
to  the  stage  door.  The  manoeuvre  disclosed  to  Leigh 
the  fact  that  his  colleague  had  intended  all  the  time 
to  come,  and  also  his  own  good  fortune  in  obtain- 
ing such  a  guide. 

"  Pass  right  in,  professor,"  one  of  the  guard  said,  as 
soon  as  he  caught  sight  of  Cardington's  tall  figure. 
"A  friend  of  yours?  All  right.  Sergeant,  these  are 
two  friends  of  mine." 

They  made  their  way  behind  the  scenes  and  came 
down  into  the  pit,  where  a  few  people,  similarly 
favoured,  were  slowly  selecting  their  seats. 

"What  kind  of  a  pull  have  you  got  with  these 
fellows  ?  "  Leigh  asked,  secretly  amused  at  the  sur- 
prise his  companion  had  reserved  for  him. 

"A  prophet  is  not  always  without  honour,  even 
in  his  own  country,"  Cardington  returned  evasively. 

Apparently  his  vein  of  talk  was  worked  out  to 
the  end,  for  he  fell  into  a  profound  silence  as  soon 
as  he  had  taken  his  seat,  his  arms  folded  and  his 
head  bent  forward,  like  one  oblivious  of  his  sur- 
roundings. 

Leigh,  not  sorry  to  be  left  to  his  own  thoughts  and 
observations,  listened  to  the  roar  of  the  increasing 
multitude  in  the  corridor  without.  He  was  struck 
by  an  absence  of  that  good  humour  which  usually 
characterises  such  a  gathering.  From  time  to  time 
-h.  280  +- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


the  doors  creaked  and  bulged  inward  as  the  people 
surged  against  them,  clamouring  menacingly  for  ad- 
mittance. Each  repetition  of  the  forward  movement 
was  followed  by  an  accentuated  babel  of  voices : 
women  screaming  that  they  were  being  crushed  and 
shrilly  demanding  more  room,  men  protesting  that 
they  themselves  were  powerless  to  resist  the  pressure 
from  behind.  It  was  evident  that  Cardington  had  not 
miscalculated  their  animus,  for  they  hurled  male- 
dictions at  the  janitor,  who  stood  waiting  within,  his 
watch  in  his  hand,  wavering  between  fear  for  the 
stability  of  the  bolts  and  an  unwillingness  to  disobey 
orders.  Those  already  admitted  listened  with  increas- 
ing uneasiness,  momentarily  anticipating  that  the 
doors  would  give  way  with  a  crash,  and  that  they 
might  see  men  and  women  trampled  under  foot  in 
an  irresistible  stampede. 

Every  electric  light  in  the  place  was  now  turned 
on,  disclosing  the  bare  tiers  of  seats,  the  stage  filled 
with  chairs,  the  great  flags  looped  on  either  side  of 
the  national  shield,  the  speaker's  table  surmounted 
by  a  glass  and  pitcher.  Then  the  scene  changed. 
The  janitor,  struggling  to  open  the  doors,  was  thrown 
violently  aside  as  they  swung  back  and  launched  the 
mob  into  the  hall.  A  great  roar  ascended  to  the 
roof ;  the  nearer  seats  were  submerged  by  the  black 
mass,  which  sent  out  thin  streams  between  the  rows, 
like  an  advancing  tide  creeping  shoreward  between 
ledges  of  rock.  Leigh  and  Cardington  rose  to  their 
-+  281  1- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

feet  and  stood  gazing  at  the  spectacle.  For  the  most 
part  the  crowd  was  composed  of  labouring  men,  who 
looked  as  if  they  had  just  come  from  the  factory  or 
the  shop,  but  here  and  there  could  be  seen  a  glimpse 
of  bright  ribbon,  or  a  feather,  or  the  silk  hat  of  a 
pale-faced  clerk.  So  rapid  was  the  movement  that 
the  two  spectators  were  forced  to  resume  their  seats 
in  a  few  minutes  to  forestall  their  seizure. 

It  was  eight  o'clock,  the  time  set  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  President,  when  Mayor  Emmet  came 
from  one  of  the  wings,  entirely  alone,  and  took  a 
chair  near  the  centre  of  the  stage.  He  had  not  been 
invited  to  meet  the  President  at  dinner,  and  while 
the  great  man  and  his  entertainers  lingered  over  their 
cigars,  the  mayor  appeared  promptly  in  the  opera 
house,  as  if  keeping  a  business  engagement.  No 
one  who  listened  to  the  welcome  he  received  could 
doubt  his  personal  popularity  or  the  intensity  with 
which  his  constituents  resented  the  slight  he  had 
endured.  At  first  he  sat  facing  the  tumult  imper- 
turbably,  and  then  a  smile  slowly  mounted  to  his 
eyes,  as  he  rose  and  bowed  his  acknowledgements. 
Demands  for  a  speech  were  shot  out  at  him  from 
various  parts  of  the  pit,  but  he  merely  shook  his 
head  and  indicated  his  refusal  by  a  familiar  yet 
graceful  gesture. 

Car  din  gt  on  sat  gazing  at  the  solitary  figure,  mut- 
tering half  inarticulate  strictures  upon  the  dema- 
gogical spirit  that  had  led  the  man  to  make  such  an 
-»•  282  -»- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


open  bid  for  sympathy  and  vindication,  but  his  com- 
panion experienced  very  different  emotions.  There 
sat  Felicity's  husband,  handsome,  self-contained, 
and  effective.  With  a  rueful  appreciation  of  a  type 
that  differed  so  much  from  his  own,  the  astronomer 
wondered  whether  she  could  resist  him  now,  were 
she  there  to  witness  his  triumph.  The  difference  in 
social  station  between  her  and  her  husband  seemed 
unimportant  now.  What  he  lacked  was  easy  to  ac- 
quire compared  with  what  he  had  already  won ;  and 
his  weakness  for  Lena  Harpster  was,  after  all,  much 
less  serious  than  the  moral  delinquencies  of  the 
men  of  Felicity's  own  class.  For  Warwick,  like  all 
rich  cities,  was  honeycombed  with  social  scandals, 
and  scarcely  one  of  Emmet's  opponents  would  have 
been  justified,  if  all  were  published,  in  casting  the 
first  stone  at  him.  Surely,  Leigh  reflected,  she 
must  know  these  facts,  for  even  he,  a  comparative 
stranger,  had  heard  of  them. 

Was  her  pride  so  exacting  that  she  demanded 
perfection  in  return  for  her  condescension  ?  Would 
she  make  no  allowances  whatever?  It  seemed  to 
Leigh  that  such  an  attitude  on  her  part  would  be 
inhuman.  During  his  visit  to  New  York  he  had  re- 
covered his  grip  upon  himself,  for  he  was  not  one 
to  throw  away  his  days  like  the  petals  of  a  discarded 
flower  because  he  had  failed  to  win  the  woman  he 
loved.  Love,  he  reminded  himself  bitterly,  was  not 
the  main  business  of  life.  This  mood  of  renuncia- 
-+  283  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

tion  gave  him  an  almost  impersonal  appreciation  of 
his  successful  rival ;  but  the  tribute  left  him  heart- 
sick. Like  all  personally  ambitious  men  who  have 
failed  of  popular  applause,  the  success  of  another 
filled  him  with  momentary  self -depreciation.  To  be 
sure,  this  popular  triumph  of  Emmet  was  fleeting 
and  local,  while  he  himself  meant  yet  to  win  a  per- 
manent, though  restricted,  fame.  Of  this  he  had 
no  doubt.  The  present  scene  stirred  him  to  grim 
emulation.  To-morrow  he  would  realise  that  shout- 
ing and  the  clapping  of  hands  are  as  transient  as 
the  wind  in  the  trees ;  but  to-night  they  were,  after 
all,  something  well  worth  winning. 

Presently,  as  if  a  play  previously  rehearsed  were 
being  acted  before  the  eyes  of  the  audience,  the 
"  prominent  representatives  "  of  the  city  and  state 
began  to  swarm  out  from  the  wings  and  fill  the 
chairs.  Sen  ators,  j  udges,  millionaires,  popular  preach- 
ers, all  sunk  to  the  dead  level  of  a  supporting 
chorus,  an  impressive  illustration  of  the  littleness 
of  the  locally  great.  To  all  those  thousands  of 
intent  eyes  these  were  merely  the  background  upon 
which,  in  another  moment,  was  to  be  projected  the 
one  figure  of  national  importance. 

And  now  he  was  standing  before  them,  instantly 
recognisable,  though  his  appearance  magically  bet- 
tered expectation.  The  committee,  virtuously  true  to 
the  course  of  action  they  had  planned,  had  passed 
Emmet  by  without  a  look,  but  the  people  surged 
-+  284  4- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


to  their  feet  and  cheered,  as  they  saw  the  President 
pause  and  take  their  mayor  by  the  hand.  The  two 
stood  in  front  of  the  passing  chorus,  apparently  chat- 
ting like  old  friends,  and  as  the  audience  caught 
sight  of  the  President's  famous  smile,  they  laughed 
aloud.  Even  those  who  might  later  call  the  Presi- 
dent's action  shrewd  politics  now  felt  that  it  was 
dictated  by  unaffected  humanity,  and  their  carefully 
nursed  attitude  of  criticism  melted  for  the  time  in  the 
warmth  of  that  solvent  personality. 

As  the  confusion  began  to  subside,  while  the  ob- 
served and  the  observers  resumed  their  seats,  Leigh 
suddenly  saw  Bishop  Wycliffe  sitting  beside  the 
local  bishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The 
proximity  of  the  two  men,  the  easy  courtesy  of  their 
manner  as  they  exchanged  a  whispered  remark  and 
turned  again  to  glance  at  the  President,  stirred  Car- 
dington  to  comment. 

"  That  's  a  touching  picture  of  Christian  charity," 
he  murmured,  with  a  gleam  of  amusement  in  his  eyes, 
"  our  Anglican  and  Latin  ecclesiastical  princes  side 
by  side,  forgetful  of  the  Eve  of  St.  Bartholomew  and 
of  Henry  VIII.  I  haven't  the  slightest  doubt  that 
they  are  more  conscious  at  this  moment  of  those  very 
things  and  of  their  respective  traditions  than  of  the 
situation  before  them." 

His  companion,  looking  for  the  bishop's  daughter, 
scarcely  heard  what  he  said.  He  discovered  her  in 
a  box  at  one  side  of  the  stage,  in  the  midst  of  her 
-+  285  «- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

friends,  and  was  not  surprised  at  the  studied  uncon- 
cern of  her  manner.  She  must  have  come  prepared 
to  play  her  part.  It  was  her  beauty  only  that  sur- 
prised him.  His  mental  picture  of  her  wras  pale  com- 
pared with  the  glowing  reality,  for  she  seemed  to 
have  brought  with  her  all  the  warmth  and  colour 
of  the  south.  Though  her  eyes  were  turned  in  Em- 
met's direction,  the  casual  observer  might  naturally 
have  supposed  that  the  President,  sitting  in  the  same 
line  of  vision,  was  the  object  of  her  interest.  Only 
Leigh,  glancing  from  one  to  the  other,  saw  her  falter 
slightly  as  she  encountered  her  husband's  fixed  and 
meaning  look.  There  was  a  determination  in  his 
aspect  that  shook  ever  her  fortified  resolve.  The 
colour  slowly  mounted  in  his  face,  and  his  cheek 
pulsed  with  emotion.  As  her  gaze  fluttered  away, 
he  turned  himself  in  his  chair  with  a  decisive  motion, 
like  one  who  bides  his  time,  and  sat  looking  upon 
vacancy.  He  seemed  to  forget  the  scene  before  him 
and  his  own  position  between  the  warring  forces  so 
dramatically  brought  together. 

The  silence  of  expectancy  that  had  fallen  upon 
the  house  was  pierced  by  a  low  hissing  sound,  for 
Anthony  Cobbens  had  risen  to  his  feet  and  advanced 
to  the  footlights  to  make  the  speech  of  introduction. 
As  the  malignant  greeting  reached  his  ears,  his  face 
paled  and  his  fingers  tightened  on  the  rim  of  the 
silk  hat  which  he  held  awkwardly  in  the  bend  of 
his  arm.  The  scene  Cardington  had  anticipated  was 
-h  286  +- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


about  to  be  enacted.  Upon  Cobbens,  as  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  committee,  the  fury  of  the  people  now 
turned  itself,  a  fury  no  less  intense  because  restrained 
to  some  extent  by  the  presence  of  the  President. 
Perhaps  the  unfortunate  spokesman  had  thought  that 
this  presence  would  save  him  entirely,  for  his  recep- 
tion seemed  to  turn  him  to  stone.  As  he  waited  for 
the  hissing  to  subside,  he  presented  an  appearance  at 
once  so  grotesque  and  pitiful  that  his  bitterest  enemy 
must  needs  have  felt  some  twinges  of  compassion. 
That  tight-waisted  and  wide-skirted  coat,  those  fault- 
less trousers,  served  only  to  give  a  waspish  effect,  and 
to  emphasize  the  insignificance  of  the  figure  they 
were  meant  to  dignify.  He  wore  a  solitary  pink  car- 
nation, selected  with  solicitous  care.  His  thin  face 
seemed  to  shrivel  under  the  fierce  rays  of  scorn  con- 
centrating from  thousands  of  eyes,  and  his  large, 
bald  crown  began  to  glisten  with  slow  drops  of  sweat. 
Even  his  voice,  when  he  was  permitted  to  speak,  had 
lost  its  timbre  and  suggested  the  voice  of  a  somnam- 
bulist. 

It  was  evident  that  he  had  prepared  a  long  and 
elaborate  address,  for  presently  in  the  monotonous 
mumble  of  his  words  familiar  phrases  began  to  reach 
the  ears  of  those  who  listened,  —  "  when  police  com- 
missioner of  New  York"  —  "the  Kough  riders"  — 
"San  Juan  Hill,"  —  but  for  once  their  conjuring 
power  was  gone,  and  they  were  greeted  in  silence 
or  drowned  in  mocking  catcalls.  Not  one  in  ten  of 
-+  287  t" 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

his  audience  knew  or  cared  what  he  was  saying ;  not 
one  in  a  thousand  was  moved  to  pity  for  his  plight. 
The  people  had  been  visited  with  scorn  that  day 
through  an  insult  to  their  elected  representative,  and 
now  they  paid  it  back  with  interest.  The  lion  was 
eating  his  trainer,  and  licking  his  chops  with  grim 
satisfaction.  The  spirit  was  that  of  class  against 
class,  bitter,  ugly,  and  revengeful. 

Leigh's  personal  interest  was  supplemented  by  the 
curiosity  of  a  comparative  stranger,  who  drinks  in 
every  detail  of  a  situation  typical  of  the  country  in 
which  he  has  come  to  dwell.  He  studied  the  various 
faces  on  the  platform  attentively,  and  wondered 
whether  Judge  Swigart  were  now  convinced  of  the 
existence  of  the  class  feeling  which  he  had  so  blandly 
belittled  in  the  joint  debate;  but  the  defeated  can- 
didate, like  the  majority  of  his  companions,  had 
assumed  a  studied  and  enigmatic  expression.  So 
great  was  the  tension  that  no  one  ventured  to  look 
at  his  neighbour.  In  a  way  they  were  all  sharers  in 
the  humiliation  of  Cobbens,  and  co-recipients  of  the 
people's  scorn.  He  saw  Felicity  and  Mrs.  Parr  put- 
ting their  heads  together  in  whispered  comment. 
The  bishop  stirred  uneasily  and  glanced  with  irrita- 
tion at  the  speaker's  back,  as  if  he  would  fain  have 
bid  him  make  an  end.  In  a  moment  of  pardonable 
weakness  the  mayor's  lips  parted  in  the  briefest  of 
smiles.  Then  he  took  out  his  handkerchief  to  con- 
ceal his  emotion,  and  having  propped  his  chin  upon 
h-  288  h- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


the  palm  of  his  hand,  he  gazed  abstractedly  at  the 
floor. 

The  President,  twitching  in  his  chair,  appeared 
well-nigh  unable  to  control  his  nervousness.  He 
grasped  the  arms  of  his  seat  convulsively,  he  pol- 
ished his  glasses,  he  screwed  up  his  eyes,  he  smiled, 
he  frowned.  Watching  him  with  intense  interest, 
Leigh  entirely  forgot  the  speaker.  He  had  not  im- 
agined the  President's  build  so  powerful.  There  was 
a  brute  strength  in  the  neck  and  shoulders  that  would 
have  been  no  inadequate  endowment  for  a  pugilist ; 
yet  this  suggestion  was  offset  by  an  expression  of 
which  his  pictures  had  given  scarcely  a  hint.  It  was 
not  difficult  to  understand  how  his  enthusiastic  bio- 
grapher had  been  carried  away  by  that  probity  and 
sweetness,  so  that  he  made  both  himself  and  his 
hero  ridiculous  and  aroused  inextinguishable  laugh- 
ter among  the  arbiters  of  good  taste.  The  subject 
was  one  that  tempted  men  to  violent  opinions  on 
one  side  or  the  other. 

Meanwhile  the  speech  continued,  but  now  the 
listeners  began  to  appreciate  a  curious  change  in  the 
temper  of  the  speaker  and  of  his  tormentors.  At 
first  he  had  stood  before  them  like  one  hypnotised, 
unable  to  save  himself  by  shortening  the  oration  he 
had  prepared.  By  little  and  little,  however,  the  in- 
nate power  of  the  man  asserted  itself,  malign  and 
hateful  as  ever,  but  no  less  surely  effective.  His  eyes 
began  to  glisten,  his  voice  gained  in  volume  and 
-+  289  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

steadiness.  He  gradually  made  himself  heard  more 
continuously,  until  the  hissing  and  catcalls  became 
less  frequent,  and  finally  ceased.  After  a  struggle 
of  fifteen  minutes,  he  finished  strong.  Like  some 
ill-favoured  terrier,  he  had  persisted  in  spite  of 
odds,  and  had  worried  his  great  antagonist  into 
wondering  submission. 

When  his  figure  disappeared  from  view,  to  be 
replaced  by  that  of  the  President,  his  supporters 
exchanged  sidelong  glances  and  meaning  smiles. 
They  had  chosen  their  champion  well,  a  nasty 
fighter,  to  crack  the  whip  over  the  class  from  which 
he  had  risen. 

It  was  now  that  the  President  increased  to  pas- 
sionate devotion  the  popularity  his  attitude  thus  far 
had  won  him.  As  he  heard  Emmet's  name  combined 
with  his  own  in  the  cheering,  his  face  lightened  up 
with  his  extraordinary  and  spontaneous  smile.  He 
turned,  and  pulled  Emmet  to  his  feet  beside  him ; 
then  he  sat  down  and  looked  on  with  keen  enjoy- 
ment while  the  mayor  bowed  his  thanks.  It  was  some 
time  before  the  demonstration  ceased  and  the  people, 
satisfied  and  vindicated,  settled  down  to  listen. 

But  the  President  evidently  had  a  score  of  his 
own  to  settle,  and  a  snub  to  administer.  He  turned 
to  the  senior  Senator  who  sat  at  the  far  left  of  the 
stage  and  thanked  him  for  his  welcome  to  the  State ; 
then  he  turned  to  Mayor  Emmet  and  thanked  him 
for  his  welcome  to  the  city.  There  was  not  one  word 
-+  290  *- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


of  reply  to  the  ill-starred  Cobbens,  not  one  syllable 
in  appreciation  of  the  efforts  of  the  committee.  He 
had  taken  his  manuscript  from  his  pocket  and  laid 
it  on  the  table  before  the  full  meaning  of  this  omis- 
sion dawned  upon  the  audience,  and  then  they  broke 
loose  with  an  animus  which  made  their  previous 
demonstrations  seem  comparatively  mild.  The  Pre- 
sident gathered  his  manuscript  together,  raised  his 
hand  for  silence,  and  began  to  read. 

His  speech  was  simple  in  content  and  devoid  of 
imaginative  passages  ;  his  delivery  was  conspicuously 
defective  ;  his  voice,  uneven  in  quality,  now  low,  now 
breaking  into  a  shrill  note,  seemed  to  come  forth 
only  at  the  bidding  of  a  tremendous  will.  Every 
word  appeared  to  necessitate  an  effort  and  to  be 
ground  out  between  clenched  teeth.  Yet  his  listeners 
hung  on  every  word  with  breathless  attention.  His 
smile  broke  forth,  and  they  found  it  irresistible ;  he 
grew  serious,  and  they  reflected  his  mood ;  he  made 
a  patriotic  appeal,  and  the  response  was  instant. 
Without  any  of  the  arts  of  the  orator,  he  swayed 
them  as  he  would.  It  was  the  triumph  of  person- 
ality over  art.  The  ugly  memories  of  the  recent 
scene  faded  away ;  local  struggles  were  forgotten ; 
Emmet  and  Cobbens  receded  equally  into  the  back- 
ground, and  only  the  country's  glory  and  interests 
filled  the  minds  of  the  listeners. 

During  all  this  time  the  bishop's  daughter  sat  as 
one  rapt  in  a  reverie  that  had  little  connection  with 
■h.  291  h- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  emotions  that  swayed  the  crowded  house  before 
her.  Emmet  made  no  further  attempt  to  look  at 
her,  and  to  do  so  would  have  necessitated  a  conspic- 
uous movement  and  turning ;  but  the  young  mathe- 
matician gazed  in  her  direction  from  time  to  time, 
wondering  at  the  nature  of  her  thoughts,  and  hop- 
ing that  their  eyes  might  meet.  As  often  before, 
he  noted  that  her  expression  in  repose  suggested  a 
profound  sadness,  as  if  her  beauty  had  brought  its 
heritage  of  unrest.  There  is  a  type  of  beauty  that 
suggests  a  setting  of  fashion  and  clothes  and  jew- 
elry ;  but  Felicity's  loveliness  was  of  the  twilight 
kind,  far  removed  from  realism,  setting  the  imagi- 
nation free  with  fancies  of  the  mountains  and  the 
woods.  To  the  man  who  loved  her  and  had  seen 
her  in  just  such  a  setting,  the  appeal  was  all  the 
more  powerful.  Even  now  the  shadows  of  the  trees 
seemed  to  lurk  in  her  eyes,  in  her  hair,  and  in  the 
exquisite  curve  of  her  lips.  It  was  difficult  for  him 
to  realise  that  she  was  a  fashionable  woman,  lov- 
ing the  opportunities  of  her  social  life,  for  he  saw 
her  otherwise.  Hers  was  a  face  toward  which  men 
gravitated,  not  drawn  by  her  beauty  alone,  nor  by 
the  brilliancy  of  her  mind,  but  by  a  sense  of  mystery 
beyond  the  outward  seeming. 

The  atmosphere  which  the  President's  speech  had 

created    outlasted   the    effort    itself,  and    remained 

warmly  in  the  minds  of  the  hearers.    All  too  soon 

they  were  reaching  for  their  hats  and  coats  and  be- 

■h.  292  *- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


ginning  to  realise  that  the  great  occasion  was  over. 
Soon  the  stage  was  bare,  and  the  receding  tide  in 
the  pit  had  left  large  patches  of  empty  seats. 

The  experience  had  wrought  a  wonderful  trans- 
formation in  Leigh.  Emmet's  initial  triumph  and 
his  claims  were  now  forgotten.  Had  the  mayor  been 
allowed  to  speak,  he  would  doubtless  have  scored  a 
hit,  but  Cobbens  had  succeeded  in  reducing  him  to  a 
mere  pawn.  The  people  had  thrust  him  forward  on 
the  board ;  Cobbens  had  neatly  lifted  him  off  and 
usurped  his  square.  The  mayor's  position  had  been 
far  from  heroic,  battered  between  contending  forces 
and  finally  rescued  by  the  President's  strong  arm. 
Doubtless  Cobbens  had  killed  himself  politically, 
but  he  had  won  a  certain  kind  of  victory.  Emmet 
was  already  beaten  when  he  failed  to  grasp  the  op- 
portunity the  President's  visit  presented  and  allowed 
the  committee  to  thrust  him  aside.  No  amount  of 
subsequent  championing  could  restore  him  to  a  posi- 
tion of  dignity.  His  enemies  had  decided  that  he 
must  not  be  allowed  to  introduce  the  President,  for 
they  knew  he  would  do  it  well.  They  had  brought 
the  fury  of  the  people  down  upon  their  heads,  but 
they  had  exhibited  their  chosen  representative  be- 
fore them  in  a  mute  and  inglorious  role.  They 
had  even  succeeded  in  making  him  an  object  of 
pity.  The  damage  he  had  received  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  his  supporters  was  incalculable,  and  while 
they  burned  with  indignation,  they  instinctively 
-*•  293  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

paid  a  treacherous  tribute  to   Cobbens's  amazing 
cleverness  and  audacity. 

Though  no  such  tribute  was  paid  the  lawyer  by 
Leigh,  it  was  still  true  that  the  turn  of  affairs  forced 
Emmet  from  his  consideration  until,  instead  of  a 
star  of  the  first  magnitude,  he  became  a  mere 
point  of  light,  and  finally  disappeared.  During  the 
President's  speech,  he  felt  that  he  had  been  holding 
secret  communion  with  Felicity,  and  the  accumulated 
excitement  of  the  evening  worked  in  his  thoughts 
an  unexpected  license  and  daring.  It  was  possible 
to  allow  Emmet's  claims  when  he  was  receiving  the 
homage  of  the  people  alone,  and  she  had  not  yet 
appeared;  but  her  presence  had  revived  the  old 
passionate  torment  in  his  heart.  Love  returned 
triumphant,  making  light  of  all  other  claims  and 
considerations. 

Upon  some  natures  oratory,  the  successful  swaying 
of  the  crowd,  has  the  same  effect,  irrespective  of  the 
tone  and  content  of  the  speech,  that  is  produced  by 
the  harmony  of  a  great  orchestra,  an  effect  of  exal- 
tation and  lawlessness.  In  the  young  mathematician 
this  responsiveness  was  a  marked  trait,  at  variance 
with  another  more  coldly  intellectual  quality.  He 
began  to  feel  that  he  ranged  at  will,  freed  from 
artificial  and  unreal  restraints.  He,  too,  would  do 
some  great  thing.  On  that  full  wave  of  excitement 
he  was  carried  beyond  the  dikes  which  in  cooler 
moments  he  had  erected  against  himself. 
-H-  294  •»- 


THE    PRESIDENT 


When  the  audience  arose  to  depart,  he  looked 
longingly  in  the  direction  of  the  box  in  which 
Felicity  sat.  He  would  fain  have  leaped  upon  the 
stage  and  have  gone  to  her  before  she  could  escape 
him ;  he  was  burning  to  speak  to  her,  to  hear  her 
voice  and  touch  her  hand.  But  her  departure  with 
her  friends  was  little  less  than  precipitate.  It  did 
not  now  occur  to  her  lover  that  she  might  wish  to 
avoid  her  husband ;  as  far  as  he  was  concerned,  she 
had  no  husband.  He  only  appreciated  his  own  dis- 
appointment, and  stood  chafing  before  the  stupid 
herd  that  blocked  his  way  to  the  street. 

In  this  mood  he  cared  not  at  all  to  discuss  the 
events  of  the  evening  with  his  companion ;  but 
Cardington  was  full  of  caustic  comment. 

" It  was  a  great  occasion,"  he  mused.  "We  have 
seen  what  we  came  out  to  see,  and  what  more  have 
we  a  right  to  demand  ?  The  dear  people  rampant, 
the  respected  mayor  quiescent,  but  biding  his  time, 
Cobbens  couchant  but  fanged,  the  President  raised 
to  a  sublime  apotheosis.  It  is  always  a  pleasure — is 
it  not? —  to  witness  transcendent  ability,  even  if  it 
be  in  the  line  of  practical  politics.  The  perfection 
of  each  thing  is  worth  observing.  These  local  poli- 
ticians are  fools  compared  with  the  President,  mere 
blundering  tyros  in  the  hands  of  a  master  of  the 
craft."  His  eyes  began  to  gleam  with  merriment. 
"  And,  by  the  way,  that  was  a  noble  effort  of  Mr. 
Cobbens,  c  apples  of  gold  in  pitchers  of  silver.' ' 
-*  295  +* 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

His  soliloquy  lasted  unbroken  until  they  reached 
the  street.  To  his  companion  there  was  now  no 
inspiration  in  the  moonlight,  no  sweetness  in  the  un- 
usual mildness  of  the  air.  His  restless  eyes  searched 
in  vain  the  long  line  of  carriages,  but  Felicity  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  He  caught  sight  of  the  bishop 
driving  off  alone,  and  Cardington  noticed  the  direc- 
tion of  his  glance. 

"  Ah,"  he  said,  "  the  bishop  is  doubtless  about  to 
betake  himself  to  the  final  reception  to  the  President 
at  the  Warwick  Club.  Which  reminds  me  that  the 
Bradford  House  is  only  a  short  walk  from  here." 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 


CHAPTER  XV 

"I    PLUCKED   THE    ROSE,    IMPATIENT   OF   DELAY " 

X  HE  Bradford  House  was  a  famous  hostelry,  and 
had  long  been  deservedly  popular  for  its  cuisine.  It 
was  a  pleasure  to  sit  in  the  long,  low  cafe,  to  observe 
the  rafters  of  natural  wood,  the  antique  fireplace,  and 
the  mural  paintings  illustrating  scenes  from  Colonial 
history :  the  landing  at  Plymouth  Rock,  the  death 
of  Miantonomoh,  the  Boston  Tea  Party.  Still  more 
pleasant  it  was,  while  the  colonists  attacked  the  Pe- 
quods  on  the  wall,  to  attack  a  lobster  salad  or  a  welsh 
rabbit  on  the  table,  and  to  reflect  that  the  main  busi- 
ness of  men  fruges  consumere  nati  was  no  longer  to 
fight  Indians. 

Some  such  comforting  reflection  seemed  to  be  mir- 
rored in  the  genial  countenance  of  Professor  Little- 
ford,  as  he  sat  with  Miss  Wycliffe  and  the  Parrs  in 
a  corner,  listening  to  the  music  that  floated  in  from 
the  room  beyond,  and  viewing  the  scene  through 
the  smoke  of  his  cigarette. 

He  and  Miss  Wycliffe  had  a  full  view  of  the  room, 

to  which  the  Parrs  had  shown  their  indifference  by 

turning  their  backs,  Mrs.  Parr  being  absorbed  in  her 

own  excited  comments  upon  the  scene  in  the  opera 

-f  297  +* 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

house,  while  her  husband  was  earnestly  employed  in 
the  business  which  had  brought  him  to  that  place. 
In  fact,  he  had  pleasantly  occupied  the  major  time 
of  the  President's  speech  in  gustatory  anticipations 
that  were  now  being  realised  to  his  perfect  satisfac- 
tion ;  and  if  he  thought  of  the  mayor  at  all,  it  was 
to  reflect  that  Emmets  could  come  and  go  without 
changing  the  flavour  of  his  favourite  viands. 

"  It  was  fortunate,"  Littleford  remarked,  "  that  I 
telephoned  over  and  reserved  this  table,  but  I  'm 
afraid  our  friends  have  disappointed  us." 

He  glanced  uneasily  at  the  chairs  leaning  one 
against  each  end  of  the  table,  and  then  over  the  room. 
In  all  that  crowd  of  eager  talkers  there  was  practi- 
cally but  one  theme  of  conversation,  the  recent  scene 
in  the  opera  house,  and  but  one  verdict,  praise  of  the 
committee.  In  obscure  saloons  the  same  topic  was 
bandied  back  and  forth  over  bars  dripping  with  beer, 
but  there  the  verdict  went  the  other  way.  Could 
all  the  excited  comment  on  this  subject,  all  the  oaths 
and  laughter,  have  been  collected  into  one  volume 
of  sound,  what  a  mighty  roar  would  have  ascended, 
shattering  the  far  quiet  of  the  moonlit  night ! 

As  Littleford  looked  across  the  room,  three  men 
entered  the  door  and  began  to  make  their  way 
between  the  tables  in  his  direction.  The  first  was 
Cobbens,  his  hat  in  the  bend  of  his  arm,  as  if  it  had 
rested  there  continuously  since  his  performance  on 
the  platform.  He  was  acutely  conscious  of  the  in- 
-+  298  +- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

terest  his  appearance  aroused,  and  bowed  from  left 
to  right  with  his  nervous,  expansive  smile,  a  Gallic 
personality  in  manner  and  dress.  It  was  evident 
that  he  felt  himself  among  friends,  and  regarded  his 
entrance  as  something  of  a  triumphal  progress.  To 
him  social  Warwick  was  the  world,  and  its  approval 
was  commendation  enough,  in  spite  of  the  Presi- 
dent's rebuke.  He  by  no  means  estimated  at  its  full 
value  the  hatred  he  had  won  from  the  masses,  and  to 
see  him  now,  a  pleased  and  genial  person,  the  fact 
was  hard  to  realise.  His  companions,  or  rather,  the 
men  who  followed  in  his  wake,  were  Cardington  and 
Leigh.  They  had  left  their  hats  and  coats  in  the 
check-room,  and  were  following  the  lawyer's  lead 
instinctively,  as  men  will  in  the  mazes  of  a  crowded 
place.  At  the  same  moment  Littleford  held  up  his 
hand  and  the  bishop's  daughter  indicated  her  pre- 
sence and  her  welcome  by  a  beckoning  motion  of  her 
napkin.  All  three  men  saw  the  signal  and  accepted  it. 
Littleford's  brow  clouded  slightly  at  sight  of 
Leigh,  and  his  greeting  of  the  young  man  was  a 
shade  less  cordial  than  his  greeting  of  the  other  two. 
There  were  three  men  and  two  chairs,  which  was 
awkward,  and  he  was  expecting  only  Swigart  and 
Cobbens.  Cardington  was  always  welcome,  but  the 
astronomer  was  still  an  outsider,  and  the  present 
excitement  was  one  of  peculiarly  local  interest.  Had 
Leigh  been  a  man  of  means,  Littleford  would  have 
commanded  the  waiter  to  find  another  chair  some- 
H-  299  h- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

where,  even  at  the  risk  of  being  obliged  to  compress 
his  ample  form  against  the  wall;  but  now  he  retained 
his  seat  in  deliberate  helplessness,  hoping  that  the 
situation  would  presently  be  adjusted  by  the  tactful 
withdrawal  of  the  only  supernumerary  of  the  party. 
Unhappily  for  this  hope,  the  supernumerary  was  not 
disposed  to  regard  himself  as  such.  He  may  have 
known  that  Cobbens  would  have  left  his  hat  out- 
side had  he  intended  to  remain,  but  at  all  events, 
it  needed  only  Miss  Wy  cliff  e's  smile  of  welcome  to 
justify  him  in  taking  the  chair  beside  her. 

Her  acknowledgement  of  the  lawyer's  greeting  was 
brief  and  perfunctory,  as  if  she  forgot  to  masque 
her  indifference ;  and  just  as  unconsciously  she  be- 
trayed her  partiality  for  the  young  astronomer  by 
those  minute  signals  which  a  woman  displays  when 
off  her  guard.  She  swayed  toward  him  almost  im- 
perceptibly, and  looked  at  him  with  content,  as  a 
woman  looks  at  the  man  she  loves  before  she  realises 
more  than  her  desire  to  have  him  near. 

Cobbens  began  to  apologise  for  himself  and  the 
judge.  "  I  forgot  that  of  course  we  were  expected  at 
the  club,  when  I  promised  to  meet  you  here ;  but  it 
seems  we  are  still  on  dress  parade." 

"  Let  me  congratulate  you,"  Mrs.  Parr  interposed, 
"for  putting  that  creature  in  his  place." 

"It  was  neat,"  Littleford  commented,  with  appre- 
ciation. 

Felicity  glanced  up  from  her  conversation  with 
-+  300  -^ 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

Leigh  to  meet  an  unmistakable  desire  for  her  judg- 
ment in  the  lawyer's  eyes.  The  winning  prettiness 
of  her  manner,  the  transient  glow,  were  gone  in  an 
instant,  to  be  replaced  by  an  expression  almost  stony 
in  its  unhappiness. 

"Something  had  to  be  done,"  Cobbens  observed 
modestly,  "to  maintain  the  dignity  of  the  city." 

The  moment  was  epic  in  its  possibilities,  to  two  of 
the  men  present.  Cobbens  might  interpret  an  expres- 
sion of  approval  on  her  part  as  a  sign  that  she  forgave 
him  for  humiliating  her  protege  and  had  outgrown 
her  fancy,  but  to  Leigh  such  an  expression  would 
mean  infinitely  more.  Thus  they  waited,  each  hoping 
for  the  significant  and  illuminating  word.  But  none 
was  given.  At  the  lawyer's  mention  of  dignity  in 
connection  with  himself,  a  slight  smile  hovered  about 
the  corners  of  her  lips,  but  it  found  no  reflection  in 
the  cold  brightness  of  her  eyes.  She  made  as  if  she 
failed  to  realise  that  a  comment  was  expected,  or  as 
if  the  subject  were  not  of  sufficient  interest  to  move 
her  to  speak.  The  hiatus  was  closed  before  its  exist- 
ence could  be  felt,  except  by  the  three  so  vitally  con- 
cerned. 

"  I  did  think,"  Littleford  explained,  "  that  it  would 
be  pleasanter  here  because  of  the  jam  at  the  club. 
That 's  why  I  proposed  that  you  and  Swigart  slip 
away." 

The  lawyer,  perhaps  not  yet  convinced  that  he 
had  played  and  lost,  now  addressed  Felicity  directly. 

-+   301    -H- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  Won't  you  come  to  the  reception  with  Mr.  Little- 
ford  and  me,  Miss  Wycliffe  ?  I  brought  my  machine 
around  for  the  express  purpose  of  carrying  you  off." 

"I  'm  too  comfortable  to  move  now/'  she  answered 
coolly,  "  and  I  don't  propose  to  make  the  President 
shake  hands  with  me  twice  in  one  day.  Besides,  I 
want  to  have  a  little  chat  with  Mr.  Leigh.  We  have  n't 
met  for  ages.    Mr.  Littlef ord,  I  know  you  want  to 

go,"- 

"  I  deny  it,"  he  interposed  gallantly. 

—  "and  as  I  refuse  to  move,  I  don't  see  why  my 
stubbornness  should  keep  you  away  from  something 
more  interesting." 

"  In  other  words,"  Cobbens  said,  with  as  good  a 
grace  as  his  disappointment  would  allow,  "  we  have 
received  our  conge,  and  had  better  not  stand  upon 
the  order  of  our  going." 

She  greeted  this  declaration  with  laughing  pro- 
test, but  the  two  went  off  together,  Littleford  being 
eager  to  get  from  one  of  the  participants  the  inside 
history  of  the  scene  he  had  witnessed,  and  Cob-' 
bens  well  aware  that  to  remain  would  be  to  subject 
himself  gratuitously  to  the  humiliation  of  taking 
a  second  place  in  her  attention. 

Leigh,  exhilarated  by  his  good  fortune,  was  im- 
pervious to  the  keen,  malicious  glance  the  lawyer 
had  bestowed  upon  him,  while  Cardington,  who 
had  stood  by  during  the  whole  colloquy  in  perfect 
silence,  did  not  even  now  venture  to  seat  himself, 
-+  302  -h- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

but  looked  down  upon  Felicity  with  the  mute  re- 
proach of  one  neglected. 

"  Mr.  Cardington,"  she  said  gaily,  "  don't  stand 
there  like  a  clock-tower,  without  striking  a  note,  but 
take  Mr.  Littleford's  place  here  by  me." 

He  did  as  she  commanded,  and  having  given  his 
order,  he  took  out  a  cigarette  and  puffed  meditatively. 

"Now  please  don't  fall  into  the  doleful  dol- 
drums," she  protested,  "  when  we  've  had  such  an 
enlivening  evening." 

"  A  most  effective  alliteration,"  he  murmured,  but 
without  spontaneity.  It  was  evident  that  the  dol- 
drums were  very  real  with  him,  for  he  made  no  effort 
to  take  part  in  the  ensuing  conversation,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  subject  was  one  which  might  have 
aroused  him  to  his  best  endeavours. 

Felicity's  mood  was  a  revelation  to  Leigh,  though 
he  could  not  fail  to  divine  its  cause,  and  to  guess 
the  emotions  she  had  undergone.  Had  her  pride  led 
her  to  defend  her  husband,  or  had  she  been  reserved 
and  sad,  he  would  not  have  been  surprised,  but  her 
sparkle  and  gaiety  were  like  the  glancing  of  light 
on  the  surface  of  a  rock.  She  even  shared  in  Mrs. 
Parr's  ecstatic  triumph  over  Emmet  and  echoed  her 
praise  of  Cobbens,  but  with  a  subtle  effect  of  mock- 
ery, so  that  her  friend  was  presently  reduced  to  a 
hurt  and  bewildered  silence.  In  all  this  Leigh  saw 
the  effect  of  her  husband's  humiliation  upon  her, 
that  it  had  torn  from  the  mayor  the  last  shred  of  the 
-+  303  «* 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

glamour  with  which  her  foolish  fancy  had  once  sur- 
rounded him.  He  was  moved  to  speculate  upon  her 
probable  attitude,  had  Emmet  seized  his  opportunity 
and  risen  adequately  to  the  occasion,  but  the  specu- 
lation was  fruitless,  and  the  present  topic  of  conver- 
sation full  of  hazard  to  himself.  He  was  guiltless  of 
the  vulgarity  of  showing  an  animus  against  Emmet, 
guiltless  also  of  the  hypocrisy  of  defending  him 
against  his  wife ;  and  he  embraced  the  opportunity 
Mrs.  Parr's  discomfiture  offered  of  turning  the  talk 
to  Bermuda. 

How  much  of  this  psychological  drama  was  visible 
to  Cardington  it  would  be  impossible  to  say,  but 
apparently  he  was  lost  to  his  surroundings,  for  he 
allowed  the  others  to  thresh  out  the  Emmet  inci- 
dent without  the  assistance  of  his  own  able  flail. 
Not  until  the  conversation  turned  to  Bermuda  did 
he  arouse  himself  from  his  reverie  and  take  the  lead. 
The  topic  suggested  to  his  mind  the  influence  of 
climate  upon  architecture  and  the  arts,  and  presently 
he  was  exploring  distant  ramifications  of  the  theme. 

"  I  feel  it  incumbent  upon  myself,"  Cardington 
said,  "  to  confess  that  I  gave  Mr.  Emmet  my  careful 
consideration  this  evening,  during  the  moments  I 
could  spare  from  a  contemplation  of  our  Chief  Exe- 
cutive, and  I  must  say  that  I  found  him  the  more 
interesting  study  of  the  two.  I  began  to  demolish 
my  earlier  views,  or  prejudices,  and  to  build  up  a  new 
opinion  of  the  man.  Fairness  compels  me  to  admit 
-+  304  -»- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

that  I  got  a  different  conception  of  his  possibilities. 
As  I  sat  looking  at  him,  expecting  to  see  every  sign 
of  demoralisation  in  his  aspect,  I  began  to  perceive 
that  he  by  no  means  regarded  himself  down  and  out 
for  good,  if  you  will  allow  the  sporting  phrase.  Mr. 
Emmet  was  fooled  this  time,  but  he  will  not  be  fooled 
again.  I  thought  I  could  see  that  he  had  learned 
his  lesson  well,  and  if  I  were  Mr.  Anthony  Cobbens, 
I  should  feel  the  stirring  of  a  very  considerable 
doubt  as  to  the  ultimate  outcome  of  the  struggle  to 
which  he  has  now  committed  himself.  Perhaps  he 
has  provoked  a  jinnee  in  that  young  man  which  will 
one  day  rise  up  and  envelop  him  in  a  cloud  of  polit- 
ical suffocation.  Don't  you  think  so,  Miss  Felicity  ?  " 
He  looked  at  her  inquiringly,  anticipating  her 
acquiescence.  In  his  expression  the  ideal  and  im- 
personal quality  that  constituted  his  peculiar  charm 
was  now  apparent,  and  suggested  an  inward  exalta- 
tion, as  if  he  had  gained  a  victory  over  himself  and 
had  made  an  honourable  amend.  Leigh,  watching 
her  with  tense  emotion,  saw  that  she  was  deeply 
impressed,  and  he  seemed  to  read  the  record  of 
her  thoughts  in  the  shadows  that  came  and  went 
within  her  eyes.  She  was  weighing  her  husband's 
qualities  and  possibilities  in  the  scales  of  this  unex- 
pected opinion,  and  the  decision  hung  suspended  in 
the  balance.  As  he  divined  her  secret  struggle  and 
realised  that  she  might  go  back  to  the  man  who  did 
not  love  her,  who  wished  to  use  her  for  his  own 

-+  305   +r 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

advancement,  he  suffered  an  agony  of  jealousy  that 
was  well-nigh  insupportable. 

For  a  few  moments  she  delayed  to  answer,  toying 
with  her  fork  in  thoughtful  abstraction.  In  fact, 
her  love  for  the  young  astronomer  beside  her  was 
contending  with  the  old  desire  to  control  her  hus- 
band and  to  make  him  a  figure  in  the  world.  In  the 
inmost  recesses  of  her  heart  she  knew  that  she  no 
longer  loved  Emmet,  and  that  they  could  never 
wholly  meet.  What  she  did  not,  perhaps,  so  frankly 
own  was  the  fact  that  she  had  found  too  late  the  man 
she  could  have  loved  and  for  whom  she  should  have 
waited.  With  him  she  had  common  social  experi- 
ences and  religious  traditions,  and  time  had  taught 
her  the  value  of  these  things  she  had  once  imagined 
she  despised.  But,  after  all,  it  was  the  right  man 
against  the  wrong  man,  irrespective  of  such  consid- 
erations. Now  that  Emmet  was  mayor,  she  found 
she  did  not  care ;  the  prize  was  an  apple  of  Sodom 
in  her  hand.  He  had  even  lost  the  picturesqueness 
which  appeared  to  be  his  in  another  sphere,  with- 
out gaining  in  compensation  the  things  that  were 
Leigh's  by  inheritance.  The  argument  went  against 
him  now,  if  that  could  be  called  an  argument  which 
was  only  a  question  of  love.  She  looked  up  finally 
with  a  smile  that  seemed  to  indicate  indifference,  or 
the  weary  shelving  of  a  long  vexed  question. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  she  answered.    "  I  'm 
sure  I  don't  presume  to  say." 
-+  306  -H- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

Cardington  rose  to  his  feet  abruptly,  and  his 
glance  seemed  one  of  judgment  upon  her. 

"  A  scandalous  proceeding  ! "  he  broke  out.  "  This 
night's  work  was  a  scandalous  proceeding."  Her 
startled  flush  arrested  him,  and  his  tone  attained  a 
sudden  jocularity.  "  Well,  I  must  leave  you  here  to 
fight  it  out  among  yourselves.  I  have  a  piece  of 
work  that  is  calling  loudly  to  me  from  the  hill. 
Good-night ! "  He  paid  his  bill,  and  strode  away 
without  another  word. 

"  I  never  knew  a  man  with  such  a  range  of  learn- 
ing," Leigh  said;  "he  makes  the  rest  of  us  seem 
like  ignoramuses." 

"  We  are  all  his  students,"  Mrs.  Parr  put  in, 
"  whether  we  wish  to  be  or  not."  She  spoke  with 
such  feeling  that  the  others  were  moved  to  laughter. 
For  some  time  she  had  been  looking  from  Leigh  to 
Felicity  with  that  birdlike  movement  of  the  head, 
until  she  had  made  a  woman's  great  discovery,  that 
her  friend  was  not  indifferent  to  his  admiration. 
Without  going  so  far  as  to  wish  Felicity  to  marry 
him,  she  was  deeply  pleased  that  he  seemed  to  have 
driven  away  the  more  unworthy  fancy.  This  was 
enough  for  the  present,  and  her  content  shone  in 
her  glances  toward  the  young  man  like  an  unspoken 
message  of  good-will. 

As  they  stood  on  the  curb  outside  while  Mr.  Parr 
went  to  find  his  carriage,  the  scene  before  them  pre- 
sented such  a  contrast  with  the  experiences  of  the 
-«-  307  -»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

evening  that  instinctively  they  were  hushed  in  con- 
templation. The  bare  branches  of  the  trees  in  the 
park  across  the  way  were  silvered  by  the  rays  of  the 
full  moon,  which  wrought  a  motionless  tracery  on 
the  thin  remnant  of  snow  beneath.  Through  a  gap 
could  be  seen  the  white  shaft  of  the  soldiers'  monu- 
ment, lifting  high  above  the  trees  a  splendid  figure 
of  Victory,  with  wings  outspread  against  the  pale  sky. 
Modelled  after  the  Pillar  of  Trajan,  only  more  lovely 
in  the  purity  of  its  white  marble,  it  was  one  of  the 
rare  objects  of  art  that  gave  Warwick  a  claim  to 
distinction  and  justified  the  pride  of  its  citizens. 
Around  it  were  carved  innumerable  figures  of  sol- 
diers, climbing  a  spiral  pathway.  Indistinguishable 
now  in  the  moonlight,  they  still  remained  in  the  mem- 
ory, like  the  echo  of  a  martial  song. 

This  was  the  first  appeal  of  the  night,  made  to 
the  eye  alone ;  but  presently,  despite  the  random 
noises  of  the  street,  they  became  aware  of  a  dull, 
continuous  sound,  and  knew  that  the  stream  which 
intersected  the  park  on  its  way  to  the  river  had  been 
freed  from  ice  by  the  January  thaw,  and  was  pour- 
ing its  swollen  waters  over  the  dam.  The  note  was 
deep  and  full,  like  a  solemn  recitative,  as  if  Nature's 
diurnal  harmonies  had  sunk  to  this  one  transitional 
key.  Above  all,  the  mildness  of  the  air,  full  of 
the  alluring  witchery  of  a  false  spring,  affected  the 
imagination  like  a  delicate,  ethereal  wine. 

Leigh  lifted  his  head  and  swept  the  sky  with  the 
-»•  308  +- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

keenness  of  the  scientist  to  whom  its  vast  spaces  are 
a  familiar  book ;  yet  when  he  suddenly  desisted  and 
looked  down  at  Felicity,  she  saw  in  his  eyes  the  rare 
expression  of  the  poet. 

"  It  would  almost  seem,"  he  said,  "  that  Nature 
has  gradually  been  taking  on  a  more  serene  and 
mysterious  beauty  every  moment,  to  rebuke  the 
feverish  struggles  of  men." 

Their  glances  lingered,  and  he  read  in  her  a  wild 
unhappiness  and  a  suggestion  of  reckless  daring  that 
stirred  his  heart  to  he  knew  not  what  tempestuous 
emotions.  He  found  in  that  look  a  license  for  his 
dreams,  and  made  her  the  guardian  of  his  conscience. 
He  had  no  wish  to  be  more  honourable  than  she, 
and  this  surrender  was  attended  by  an  ecstasy  that 
derived  its  final  sweetness  from  a  sense  of  transgres- 
sion. When  the  carriage  came  round,  he  handed 
Mrs.  Parr  in,  and  then  hesitated. 

"  We  ought  to  walk  home  such  a  night  as  this, 
Miss  Wycliffe,"  he  suggested. 

Mrs.  Parr  leaned  forward  and  laughed  lightly  with 
appreciation.  "Felicity,  dear,"  she  said,  "if  you're 
going  to  walk,  do  draw  up  your  hood,  or  you'll 
catch  cold." 

Leigh's  heart  grew  warm  with  gratitude  at  this 
friendly  interposition,  and  to  his  surprise  even  Parr 
himself  seemed  not  indifferent  to  his  cause.  "Yes," 
he  added,  pulling  at  his  cigar  till  it  glowed  redly, 
"  this  is  the  kind  of  weather  when  one  catches 
-+  309  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

cold  easily.  The  worst  cold  I  ever  caught  was  dur- 
ing one  of  these  January  thaws."  With  this  advice 
they  drove  away,  pleased  with  their  innocent  coop- 
eration. 

Felicity,  laughing  at  their  warning,  nevertheless 
accepted  the  suggestion.  The  long  Shaker  cloak 
gave  a  demure  and  Puritanical  effect  to  her  figure 
as  her  head  disappeared  beneath  the  hood,  an  effect 
of  outline  merely,  for  the  richness  of  its  crimson  hue 
suggested  other  associations.  For  some  time  they 
walked  in  comparative  silence  through  the  park,  paus- 
ing for  a  moment  on  the  stone  arch  that  spanned 
the  stream  to  note  the  glint  of  the  moon  on  the 
swirling  water,  and  even  when  they  found  them- 
selves at  last  in  Birdseye  Avenue,  their  talk  was  all 
of  the  night  and  the  sorcery  of  its  effects,  veiling 
and  again  unconsciously  betraying  the  nature  of  their 
inward  thoughts. 

A  realisation  of  the  fact  that  his  opportunity 
was  slipping  by  moved  Leigh  to  desperation.  Yet 
an  opportunity  for  what?  Try  as  he  might,  he 
could  never  understand  how  she  had  come  to  marry 
Emmet ;  her  practical  repudiation  of  the  act  could 
not  undo  it.  What  was  he  to  hope  for  from  this 
cruel  and  beautiful  woman  ?  He  was  indifferent  to 
the  fact  that  for  some  time  he  had  not  spoken. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of  ?  "  she  asked,  turning 
upon  him  with  a  hint  of  challenge.    "  Has  the  moon- 
light bewitched  you,  Mr.  Leigh  ?  " 
-+  310  i- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

"  Not  the  moonlight/'  he  answered  shortly, 
"though  I  am  bewitched." 

She  regarded  him  with  an  air  of  inquiry,  even  of 
invitation.  Was  it  possible  that  she  failed  to  know 
what  might  result?  Did  she  hunger  for  further 
evidences  of  her  power  ? 

"  Don't  look  at  me  like  that,"  he  went  on,  "  if  you 
wish  me  to  remember  that  you  once  forbade  me  to 
love  you.  Don't  I  know  how  hopeless  my  love  is  ? 
Your  eyes  have  come  between  me  and  my  work  day 
and  night  to  invite  me  to  take  what  you  can  never 
give,  and  what  I  believe  you  would  not  give  if  you 
could.  Is  n't  it  enough  that  you  have  been  cruel  to 
one  man?  " 

They  were  passing  her  house,  but  neither  paused. 
His  passion  had  led  him  to  disclose  his  knowledge  of 
her  secret,  and  her  heart  was  gripped  in  a  sudden 
fear.  For  the  moment,  it  seemed  to  her  that  all 
Warwick  must  know,  that  the  fact  she  now  desired 
to  conceal  was  common  property,  to  be  to-morrow 
the  wonder  of  the  town. 

"  See  how  deserted  the  street  is,"  he  said.  "  It  is 
as  if  you  and  I  were  walking  alone  in  the  world,  and 
who  can  tell  when  we  shall  be  alone  again  ?  " 

Presently  he  paused  and  faced  her.  She  stood 
looking  up  at  him,  her  face,  framed  by  the  gathered 
edge  of  her  crimson  hood,  ethereally  beautiful  in  the 
full  moonlight. 

"Do  you  know  how  a  man  feels  when  he  loves 
-i-  311  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

you,  Felicity  ?  "  he  demanded.  It  was  the  first  time 
he  had  ever  addressed  her  by  that  name,  but  she 
accepted  it  without  protest,  waiting  with  parted  lips 
for  his  next  words.  "How  can  you  be  so  quiet?" 
he  went  on  passionately.  "  It  is  n't  possible  that  you 
can  be  as  cruel  as  you  seem !  Why  did  n't  you  treat 
me  brutally  at  the  very  first,  and  give  me  my  answer 
before  I  was  such  a  fool  as  to  ask  the  question  ? 
That  would  have  been  kindness.  But  you  let  me 
hope,  I  don't  know  why,  perhaps  because  you  wanted 
to  use  me,  perhaps  to  feed  your  vanity.  Just  now  I 
hardly  know  what  I  am  saying  to  you ;  but  don't 
think  that  I  shall  be  one  of  your  victims.  You  owe 
me  something,  Felicity,  some  memory  to  carry  with 
me  the  rest  of  my  life.  That  at  least  I  will  have,  even 
if  I  must  pay  for  it  by  never  seeing  you  again." 

Before  she  could  forestall  his  intention,  he  had 
drawn  her  into  his  arms.  Her  hand  faltered  in  a 
vain  effort  against  his  breast,  and  she  was  lost.  She 
leaned  against  him  helplessly.  "There,"  he  said, 
kissing  her  once  and  again,  "now  you  know  how  I 
love  you." 

They  stood  apart,  trembling.  In  his  eyes  shone  a 
mournful  triumph,  while  her  indignation  was  ren- 
dered speechless  by  a  full  knowledge  of  her  respon- 
sibility for  the  act.  She  could  have  averted  it,  had 
she  wished. 

"I  did  not  dream,"  he  said  at  last,  as  if  speaking 
to  himself  alone,  "that  a  woman  could  be  so  sweet." 
-+  312  +- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

"Have  you  forgotten  that  I  am" —  She  could 
not  frame  the  word  that  hovered  on  her  lips,  nor 
maintain  the  dignity  for  which  she  strove  against 
the  suffocating  tumult  of  joy  that  rioted  in  her  heart. 

"  Your  husband  gave  me  his  confidence/'  he  an- 
swered bitterly.    "  You  see  how  well  I  deserved  it." 

"  Then  you  realise  what  you  have  done."  There 
was  a  note  of  finality  in  her  voice,  and,  turning 
slowly,  she  began  to  retrace  her  steps.  She  was  un- 
conscious of  the  fact  that  they  were  walking  close 
together  until  the  sound  of  a  carriage  overtaking 
them  caused  her  to  draw  away  instinctively  and 
to  glance  with  apprehension  at  the  roadway.  The 
vehicle  passed  within  a  few  feet  of  the  curb,  and  the 
bishop  leaned  forward  with  a  look  of  recognition. 

"Father  has  been  to  the  reception,"  she  said.  "I 
must  go  in  now." 

"  There  is  so  much  I  want  to  say,"  he  protested. 

She  smiled  drearily.  "  You  must  spare  me  further 
humiliation,"  she  answered.  He  knew  her  meaning 
without  more  words.  He  must  not  speak  to  her  of 
her  mistake,  nor  hint  of  the  possibility  of  her  free- 
dom. Yet  it  was  this  possibility  that  struggled 
dumbly  within  them  for  recognition,  so  that  now 
their  mood  was  one  of  storm,  all  the  more  intense 
from  its  repression.  They  were  conscious  each  mo- 
ment of  the  man  who  stood  between  them,  no  longer 
the  familiar  figure,  but  one  evoked  by  their  mutual 
guilt  and  sublimated  by  Cardington's  prophetic 
-+  313  *~ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

words,  strong  to  avenge  himself  upon  his  enemies 
and  betrayers.  Leigh,  convinced  that  Emmet  would 
claim  his  own,  suffered  already  the  anguish  of 
renunciation,  more  poignant  that  the  pressure  of  her 
unresisting  lips  was  still  felt  warmly  on  his  own. 
Before  her  house  he  stooped  and  kissed  her  again 
without  fear  of  repulse,  chastened  and  subdued. 

"Since  it  is  to  be  good-bye,"  she  said  quietly. 

He  stood  where  she  left  him,  watching  her  figure 
lessening  between  the  trees  until  it  was  swallowed 
up  in  the  shadow  of  the  house.  The  door  opened, 
he  saw  the  crimson  flash  of  her  cloak  for  a  moment 
in  the  light  from  within,  and  then  she  was  gone. 

The  bishop,  sitting  beside  the  lamp  with  a  book 
in  his  hand,  glanced  up  as  his  daughter  entered, 
with  a  keen  inquiry  in  his  deepset  eyes. 

"I  thought  I  just  passed  you  with  Mr.  Leigh," 
he  remarked,  watching  the  effect  of  his  words.  Her 
unusual  colour  and  the  brilliancy  of  her  eyes  served 
to  confirm  his  suspicions,  though  her  manner  was 
as  studiedly  indifferent  as  his  own.  It  was  with  dif- 
ficulty that  she  restrained  the  trembling  of  her 
fingers  fumbling  with  the  fastening  of  her  cloak. 

"Yes,"  she  answered.  "Mr.  Leigh  met  us  at  the 
Bradford  after  the  President's  speech,  and  the  night 
was  so  beautiful  that  we  walked  home  together." 

Looking  at  her  attentively,  he  was  struck  by  a  new 
softness  and  radiance  in  her  beauty,  and  by  the  fact 
that  the  Shaker  cloak  was  singularly  becoming.  He 
■+  314  h- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

thought  of  his  sermon  on  personal  adornment,  and 
in  spite  of  his  anxiety,  a  deep  amusement  dawned  in 
his  eyes.  "  And  went  around  Robin  Hood's  barn,  by 
the  way,"  he  supplemented. 

"  Is  n't  the  longest  way  round  the  shortest  way 
home  ?  "  she  asked  coolly.  His  smile  had  reassured 
her.  Whatever  he  suspected,  it  was  much  less  than 
the  truth. 

It  was  not  in  the  bishop's  nature  to  come  out  with 
a  direct  question  that  might  precipitate  a  scene,  ex- 
cept as  a  last  resort,  and  he  presently  bade  her  good- 
night, after  commenting  upon  the  events  of  the 
evening  with  the  casual  interest  of  one  accustomed 
to  public  spectacles.  In  reality,  his  interest  had  been 
deep,  but  now  another  matter  demanded  his  thought, 
and  he  was  willing  to  be  alone.  He  was  reminded 
by  the  encounter  in  the  street  that  it  was  high  time 
to  put  the  machinery  in  operation  by  which  the 
young  professor  was  to  be  quietly  dismissed  from 
St.  George's  Hall.  Satisfied  with  his  analysis  of  his 
daughter's  state  of  mind,  he  perfected  his  plan,  and 
went  to  bed  in  comparative  content. 

Leigh  sat  for  a  long  time  staring  at  the  flame  of 
his  lamp  and  striving  to  take  reckoning  with  him- 
self. He  could  no  more  have  told  how  he  found  his 
way  to  his  room  than  if  he  had  been  carried  thither 
in  a  state  of  insensibility,  but  there  he  was,  trying 
to  think,  while  mere  .emotion  still  held  a  riotous 
sway.  He  had  kissed  her,  and  the  touch  of  her  lips, 
-►  315  +* 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

the  fragrance  of  her  skin,  were  even  now  present  in 
his  senses.  The  experience  caused  him  to  readjust 
his  impression  of  her.  She  had  lost  something  in  his 
eyes.  What  was  it  ?  Not  height ;  though  she  seemed 
less  tall.  The  change  was  not  in  stature.  Like  Pyg- 
malion, he  had  found  the  marble  grow  warm  and 
human  beneath  his  caress ;  he  was  still  bewildered  by 
the  wonder  of  it,  and  mad  with  a  sense  of  triumph. 
She  had  lost  her  inaccessibility,  her  inviolable  dis- 
tance, but  she  had  gained  in  womanly  quality,  gained 
infinitely  upon  his  heart,  so  that  now  he  longed  for 
only  one  thing  —  to  take  her  in  his  arms  once  more. 
At  the  thought  he  flushed  warmly ;  but  suddenly  his 
heart  grew  cold,  as  her  words  came  back  so  vividly 
to  his  mind  that  they  seemed  spoken  audibly  in  the 
room :  "  Since  it  is  to  be  good-bye." 

He  arose  from  his  chair  and  walked  rapidly  up 
and  down  the  room,  as  if  to  escape  from  his  own 
condemnation.  Had  he,  then,  no  honour  at  all?  The 
question  brought  him  face  to  face  with  his  naked 
soul,  and  he  was  afraid.  What  sophistry  was  that  by 
which  he  had  justified  his  act?  He  had  argued  that 
it  was  to  be  a  kiss  of  farewell,  and  no  sooner  had 
he  attained  his  wish  than  all  thought  of  the  stipu- 
lation vanished  utterly  from  his  mind,  leaving  only 
a  more  insatiable  longing.  The  last  vestige  of  his 
morality  seemed  to  be  swept  away,  and  memory  made 
the  taste  of  stolen  waters  still  sweet  to  his  lips.  When 
he  judged  Emmet  so  severely,  he  was  proudly  sure 
■h-  316  ■*- 


I    PLUCKED    THE    ROSE 

of  his  own  standards,  but  now  he  felt  he  had  none. 
Her  husband's  scornful  and  warning  look,  the  day 
they  encountered  each  other  in  the  street,  was  then 
prophetic.  The  man  estimated  him  unerringly,  and 
knew  what  he  had  to  fear. 

Reflection  had  come  at  last,  and  would  not  down. 
Surely,  Emmet  was  the  more  honourable  of  the  two, 
and  had  been  more  sinned  against  than  sinning.  He 
had  slipped,  had  recovered  himself,  and  was  honestly 
striving  to  make  amends.  How  shamefully  cruel  his 
treatment  had  been  from  every  hand,  from  his  wife's, 
his  friend's,  his  political  opponents ' !  Where  was 
now  his  own  guilty  triumph  of  a  few  moments  since? 
He  sank  into  his  chair  once  more,  and  faced  the 
fact  that  Emmet  had  given  him  an  example  to  follow, 
that  he  must  keep  his  promise  not  to  see  Felicity 
again. 

His  eye  fell  upon  his  pipe  and  he  seized  it  avidly. 
At  the  table,  he  had  not  smoked  with  Cardington 
and  Parr ;  he  had  scarcely  eaten.  Now,  the  tobacco 
brought  peculiar  relief  to  his  over- wrought  mind,  and 
dulled  for  a  few  moments  the  edge  of  his  remorse 
In  the  wavering  clouds  of  smoke  he  saw  her  eyes 
once  more.  And  the  crimson  cloak!  Was  ever  a 
wrap  worn  by  mortal  woman  so  bewitching,  so  deli- 
ciously  contradictory  in  its  suggestions  ?  The  Shaker 
women  never  married,  and  this  was  their  peculiar 
garment,  though  they  always  wore  one  of  sad,  mo- 
notonous gray.  Every  winter  they  came  to  Warwick 
-+  317  ■•- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

and  sold  cloaks  of  worldly  colours  to  the  rich  young 
women  of  the  town,  seeking  money  for  their  dwin- 
dling settlement.  In  the  contradiction  between  the 
demureness  of  outline  and  the  warmth  of  colour 
the  wearer  found  a  weapon  of  coquetry. 

Presently  the  pipe  was  smoked  out,  and  then  the 
second  and  the  third,  with  gradual  lessening  of  nar- 
cotic power.  The  vision  of  the  senses  was  gone,  and 
the  relentless  reality  of  duty  returned.  Once  more 
he  left  his  chair  and  began  his  restless  pacing  to 
and  fro.  Thus  the  miserable  night  wore  on,  until 
he  threw  himself  upon  his  bed  to  win  the  oblivion 
of  sleep. 

But  now  another  memory  assailed  him:  the  night 
following  his  meeting  with  Felicity  in  the  woods, 
when,  during  fitful  dreams,  a  vision  of  that  strange 
figure  rising  up  in  the  shadows  beyond  the  fire  re- 
turned to  haunt  him.  Suddenly  he  was  sitting  up  in 
bed,  staring  into  the  darkness.  In  despair  he  went 
to  his  windows  and  raised  the  curtains  to  see  if  it 
were  near  the  dawn.  It  was  four  o'clock,  but  night 
still  covered  the  wintry  landscape.  The  full  moon 
was  setting  in  the  west.  Transformed  from  a  nat- 
ural object  by  the  medium  of  his  over-strained  and 
weary  mind,  it  now  presented  a  sinister  and  mocking 
face,  as  it  peered  through  the  diamonded  panes  and 
poured  a  flood  of  yellow  light  upon  the  floor. 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    BLINDNESS   OF  THE    BISHOP 

J_HE  following  morning,  Felicity  did  not  appear 
at  the  breakfast-table,  a  circumstance  sufficiently 
unusual  to  cause  the  bishop  some  uneasiness,  for 
she  rarely  failed  to  rise  at  a  reasonable  hour. 

"  Lena,"  he  said,  "  go  upstairs  and  see  whether 
Miss  Wycliffe  is  ill,  but  don't  wake  her  if  she  is 
still  asleep  c" 

Left  alone,  he  glanced  over  the  morning  paper, 
too  much  absorbed  in  the  hypothesis  that  would 
explain  his  daughter's  non-appearance  to  find  much 
amusement  in  the  editor's  bland  and  innocuous  com- 
ments upon  the  sensational  episode  of  the  preced- 
ing night.  He  recalled  her  evident  excitement  and 
preoccupation  when  she  came  in  from  her  walk  with 
Leigh.  If  her  interview  with  the  young  man  had 
been  what  he  feared,  it  was  natural  she  should  have 
lain  awake  long  into  the  night,  and  his  heart  mis- 
gave him  at  this  additional  confirmation  of  his  in- 
sight. 

When  Lena  Harpster  received  no  response  to  her 
gentle  tap,  she  ventured  to  open  the  door  softly  and 
to  step  within  her  mistress's  room.  The  lightest 
-f  319  *r 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

sleeper  could  scarcely  have  been  awakened  by  her 
entrance,  as  noiseless  as  a  shadow  or  the  slow  sway- 
ing of  a  curtain.  She  stood  near  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  in  the  dim  and  fragrant  room,  looking  at  the 
beautiful  head  upon  the  pillow,  the  dark,  abundant 
hair,  the  half -open  lips  relaxed  from  the  control  of 
the  mind,  revealing  now  more  clearly  all  the  pro- 
mises and  passions  which  when  awake  they  might 
deny. 

Some  sense  of  the  awe  and  mystery  of  sleep  caused 
Lena  to  stand  thus  motionless  at  gaze,  herself  a  pale, 
ethereal  figure,  scarcely  less  beautiful  than  her  mis- 
tress. There  was  a  guilty  consciousness  also  of  delib- 
erate intrusion.  Familiar  as  she  was  with  the  room, 
it  now  took  on  a  different  aspect  to  her  eyes.  All 
the  objects  of  art,  the  tapestries  and  pictures  and 
statuettes,  which  she  had  admired  for  themselves, 
seemed  in  a  peculiar  way  the  property  of  their  happy 
owner,  an  overflowing  expression  of  her  abundant 
loveliness.  What  a  contrast  that  lace-covered  bed, 
that  nest  of  luxury,  presented  to  her  own  simple  couch 
beneath  the  roof,  which  served  merely  as  a  place  where 
she  could  lie  down  and  rest !  And  there  was  another 
contrast  of  which  she  was  unaware.  The  sleeping 
face  was  more  instinct  with  life,  though  Sleep  is  said 
to  be  the  brother  of  Death,  than  the  shadowed  eyes 
that  watched. 

Miss  Wycliffe,  she  reflected,  had  only  to  wish  for 
a  thing,  and  possession  was  assured.  Above  all,  it  was 
~+  320  •* 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

the  thought  that  she  might  also  have  taken  her  lover 
from  her  which  kept  the  girl's  eyes  fixed  in  wistful 
speculation.  She  had  ventured  to  write  again  to 
Emmet,  but  without  result ;  he  had  even  passed  her 
blindly  on  the  street,  leaving  her  faint,  with  a  whis- 
pered greeting  dying  pathetically  on  her  lips.  How 
could  she  contend  with  her  mistress,  if  what  she 
feared  were  true  ?  Yet  how  slender  her  cause  of  sus- 
picion !  Only  the  incident  of  the  ring,  which  Miss 
Wycliffe  had  explained  most  naturally  ;  but  the  final 
warning  against  Emmet  remained  in  her  mind  as  a 
declaration  of  possession. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Lena's  nature  that  she 
yielded  to  no  one  in  appreciation  of  Felicity's  beauty. 
Chastened  rather  than  embittered  by  a  conviction 
of  her  own  loss,  she  was  not  without  a  consciousness 
of  the  appealing  change  which  sleep  now  made  in 
the  woman  she  had  such  cause  to  dread.  No  hint 
remained  of  that  imperious  quality  which  moulded 
others  to  her  will.  She  seemed  to  have  grown  softer, 
and  there  was  something  childlike  in  the  position  of 
her  arm  on  the  counterpane,  in  her  hand  turned 
palm  upward,  in  her  half-curled  fingers.  A  lover, 
were  he  a  poet,  might  have  likened  them  to  the  pet- 
als of  a  flower  that  had  begun  to  open  with  return- 
ing day.  Presently  the  sleeper  stirred  and  opened 
her  eyes,  dimly  aware  of  a  retreating  presence  and 
a  closing  door,  but  when,  an  hour  later,  she  awoke 
fully,  the  impression  was  like  that  of  a  dream. 
-+  321  -H- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

It  was  ten  o'clock  when  she  rang  her  bell  and  or- 
dered breakfast  in  her  room.  This  order  was  as 
unusual  as  her  late  sleep,  but  she  seemed  to  herself 
to  have  awakened  a  different  person,  one  in  whom 
such  small  changes  of  action  were  merely  an  index 
of  greater  possibilities.  She  received  her  father's 
inquiries  through  Lena  with  indifference,  and  sent 
back  word  that  she  had  been  only  over-tired.  Know- 
ing that  he  lingered  below  to  see  her,  she  delayed 
deliberately  until  he  should  grow  impatient  and  leave 
the  house,  for  she  wished  to  take  up  again  the  train 
of  thought  that  had  kept  her  so  long  awake  the  pre- 
vious night.  At  present,  her  sole  concern  was  of 
herself  and  of  her  lover. 

Having  placed  the  steaming  cup  of  coffee  beside 
her  on  the  dressing-table,  she  sipped  it  from  time 
to  time  while  she  fastened  up  her  hair.  Like  Leigh, 
she  too  had  come  to  a  new  realisation  of  self,  but 
the  revelation  was  attended  with  far  less  of  spiritual 
turmoil.  It  was  as  if  she  were  making  her  own  ac- 
quaintance over  again,  and  the  process  was  not  with- 
out fascination.  He  had  called  her  cruel.  Was  there 
truth  in  the  charge?  She  had  never  been  conscious 
of  intentional  cruelty,  and  yet  she  was  intellectual 
enough  to  see  that  her  husband  might  have  good 
reason  to  accuse  her  of  it  in  her  treatment  of  him. 
But  Leigh  had  no  such  cause  of  complaint,  unless 
he  would  hold  her  responsible  for  her  beauty.  There 
must  be  some  expression  in  her  face  which  she  her- 
-»•  322  +- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

self  had  never  seen,  which  she  could  never  summon 
from  its  reflection  in  the  mirror,  an  expression  of 
desire,  impersonal  it  might  be,  but  moving  the 
beholder  to  a  personal  response. 

She  was  pleased,  rather  than  distressed,  by  Leigh's 
condemnation.  In  spite  of  his  talk  of  cruelty  and 
vanity,  he  had  said  he  did  not  know  a  woman  could 
be  so  sweet.  She  knew  she  could  be  sweet  to  the 
man  she  loved,  and  that  no  one  had  ever  yet  divined 
how  much  she  had  to  give.  She  placed  the  back  of 
her  hand  against  her  lips  and  tried  to  imagine  how 
they  had  felt  to  him  when  he  kissed  them.  The 
youthfulness  of  the  action  and  the  fancy  made  her 
smile,  and  showed  her  how  far  she  had  gone  in  think- 
ing of  him  as  a  lover. 

Her  sense  of  guilt  was  less  acute  than  her  realisa- 
tion of  the  difficulty  of  her  position.  It  came  upon 
her  that  she  was  one  day  nearer  discovery  and  con- 
demnation. As  yet  no  plan  of  action  had  taken  final 
shape  in  her  mind.  She  did  not  know  whether  she 
would  wait  for  discovery  to  come  and  find  her,  or 
take  the  initiative.  Leigh's  declaration  had  acted 
as  a  sedative  on  her  unhappiness,  and  had  banished 
the  desire  of  an  explanation  with  her  husband. 
She  would  fain  arrest  time  while  the  situation 
remained  as  it  was,  while  Leigh  was  not  yet  lost  to 
her  for  good.  What  did  she  mean  by  allowing  him 
to  kiss  her  a  second  time  ?  Did  she  wish  to  make 
amends  for  the  suffering  she  had  caused,  or  was  her 
-h  323  •■- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

acquiescence  a  fatal  admission?  In  the  latter  case, 
what  hope  or  consolation  could  she  find  in  this  new 
discovery  ? 

Cardington  too  came  in  for  a  share  of  her  thought, 
but  scarcely  for  a  share  of  her  concern.  Whatever 
his  suspicions  or  knowledge,  she  was  sure  that  his 
affection  and  loyalty  would  keep  him  silent.  If  his 
final  outbreak  at  the  table  the  previous  evening 
expressed  his  indignation  at  Emmet's  treatment,  it 
seemed  to  tell  also  his  acceptance  of  the  inevitable, 
and  to  convey  to  her  in  her  doubt  his  advice,  almost 
his  entreaty.  It  was  as  if  he  had  pointed  out  to  her 
the  path  of  duty,  and  warned  her  against  his  col- 
league, not  in  a  spirit  of  jealousy,  but  in  the  spirit  of 
a  friend  who  had  reached  an  absolute  renunciation  of 
whatever  hopes  he  might  once  have  cherished,  and 
now  thought  only  of  her.  For  a  moment  she  softened 
almost  to  the  point  of  tears,  but  this  indulgence  was 
brief.  A  vision  of  her  husband's  bulldog  air,  as  he 
sat  there  baffled  and  at  bay,  returned  to  menace  her. 
She  realised  that  he  would  not  leave  matters  longer 
as  they  were,  that  he  might  force  the  crisis  that  very 
day.  The  mettle  of  the  bishop's  daughter  was  never 
more  apparent  than  now,  as  she  faced  the  probable 
results  of  her  own  actions.  She  was  by  no  means 
inclined  to  take  her  punishment  quietly,  or  to  admit 
that  she  was  in  the  wrong.  Having  ruled  her  hus- 
band so  long,  she  would  not  now  allow  him  to  dictate 
to  her,  but  would  fight  for  her  own  happiness.  Her 
-h  324  h- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

hands  clenched  involuntarily,  and  her  breath  came 
quick  with  militant  excitement.  Had  she  been  a  man, 
her  career,  in  whatever  line  she  might  have  chosen, 
could  scarcely  have  been  less  than  remarkable. 

Meanwhile  the  bishop  was  frittering  the  morning 
away  by  a  desultory  attention  to  his  correspondence, 
hoping  each  moment  that  Felicity  would  pass  the 
open  door  of  his  study.  He  was  no  longer  a  busy 
man,  for  the  onerous  duties  of  his  office  were  now 
taken  by  his  coadjutor,  and  he  could  well  afford  to 
wait.  He  did  not  know  what  he  wished  to  say  to 
her,  but  he  would  see  her  face  again  and  observe  her 
manner,  that  he  might  examine  anew  his  grounds 
of  suspicion.  For  him  there  were  no  longer  golden 
hours  which  it  were  a  sin  for  others  to  filch  from  him. 
In  the  sunset  of  his  life  he  dreamed  of  the  active 
labours  of  his  successors,  of  the  institution  which  he 
would  leave  in  a  position  to  feed  more  generously  the 
ministry  of  the  Church.  Should  he  allow  her  foolish 
fancy  for  a  fortune  hunter  to  divert  her  from  the 
purpose  he  hoped  she  would  one  day  cherish  ?  Even 
if  a  husband  made  no  attempt  to  dissuade  her,  a 
child  would  inevitably  become  an  heir,  and  her  plans 
would  be  solely  for  him.  Cold  and  austere  by  nature, 
he  had  married  his  own  position  to  wealth,  and  he  felt 
no  desire  to  perpetuate  his  line  under  the  name  of  an- 
other man.  Above  all,  he  shrunk  from  the  thought 
of  his  daughter's  marriage  as  from  a  profanation. 
She  was  so  like  him  in  certain  mental  traits  and 
-+  325  -i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

interests  that  he  could  not  appreciate  the  tempera- 
mental difference  that  kept  them  far  apart. 

As  the  hands  of  the  clock  crept  toward  eleven,  he 
realised  that  the  morning  was  slipping  away,  and 
that  he  could  wait  no  longer  if  he  was  to  see  Presi- 
dent Renshaw  before  he  went  to  lunch.  A  few  min- 
utes later,  he  stood  in  the  hall,  a  distinguished  and 
old-fashioned  figure,  with  his  silk  hat,  his  long  cape, 
and  his  gold-headed  ebony  cane.  Lena  Harpster 
was  there,  dusting  an  antique  chair  of  ecclesiastical 
design  that  looked  as  if  it  had  been  imported  from 
the  chancel  of  some  English  cathedral. 

"  Lena,"  he  said,  laying  his  letters  on  the  table 
and  beginning  to  draw  on  his  gloves,  "  don't  forget 
to  give  these  to  the  postman  when  he  comes  ;  and 
tell  Miss  Wycliffe  I  shall  be  home  to  lunch." 

She  opened  the  door  for  his  exit  and  started  back 
against  the  wall  with  a  little  cry,  as  if  she  had 
seen  a  ghost,  for  there,  blocking  the  bishop's  way, 
his  hand  extended  to  touch  the  bell,  stood  Mayor 
Emmet.  The  bishop,  too  much  surprised  to  note  the 
panic  of  his  servant,  was  silent  for  a  moment.  It 
did  not  occur  to  him  that  the  call  could  be  on  any 
one  but  himself.  How  great  would  his  astonishment 
have  been,  had  he  known  that  poor  Lena  was  almost 
fainting  beside  him  with  the  wild  hope  that  her 
lover  had  come  to  claim  her  at  last !  How  great  his 
stupefaction,  could  he  have  seen  his  daughter  stand- 
ing midway  on  the  stairs,  one  hand  on  the  baluster, 
-H-  326  i- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

the  other  raised  to  her  heart  in  petrifying  fear !  It 
was  fortunate  indeed  for  Felicity  that  she  had  time, 
unobserved  in  the  shadow  of  the  stairway,  to  regain 
her  self-control.  Had  she  descended  a  moment  ear- 
lier, had  she  been  at  the  door  when  Lena  threw  it 
open,  she  could  hardly  have  answered  for  herself. 

The  bishop  retreated  a  step,  as  if  he  would  thereby 
invite  his  visitor's  entrance,  but,  busy  with  his  gloves, 
his  cane  hugged  under  one  arm,  he  failed,  without 
the  effect  of  discourtesy,  to  extend  his  hand. 

"  Ah,  good-morning,  Mr.  Emmet,"  he  said  in  his 
courtly  and  deliberate  manner,  and  with  that  sugges- 
tion of  a  purr  in  his  voice  which  always  betokened 
concealment  and  a  latent  ability  to  spring.  "  You 
find  me  just  about  to  go  out,  but  I  still  have  a  little 
leeway.    Won't  you  step  in? " 

He  was  not  without  curiosity  in  regard  to  the  ob- 
ject of  the  mayor's  visit.  Speculation  glimmered  in 
his  eyes,  and  his  wide,  affable  smile  was  subtle  with 
anticipation  of  a  diplomatic  test.  He  was  secretly 
amused  that  Emmet  should  presume  upon  his  blush- 
ing honours  in  this  fashion,  but  doubtless  the  man 
had  a  plausible  excuse  for  his  intrusion,  some  civic 
scheme  for  which  he  wished  to  bespeak  coopera- 
tion. After  his  humiliation  the  previous  night,  he 
had  conceived  a  plan  for  drawing  some  of  his  oppo- 
nents into  his  own  camp,  and  this  was  perhaps  the 
first  movement  of  the  new  campaign.  So  ran  the 
bishop's  conjecture,  and  he  was  not  surprised  at  his 
■h-  327  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

visitor's  unmistakable  air  of  excitement,  at  the  pallor 
of  his  face.  Perhaps  his  drubbing  at  the  hands  of 
Cobbens  had  taught  him  more  respect  for  the  class 
he  had  been  wont  to  denounce  to  his  followers,  and 
had  deprived  him  of  a  moiety  of  his  self-assurance. 

"  Bishop  Wycliffe,"  Emmet  returned,  coming  into 
the  hall  and  taking  off  his  hat,  "  I  had  n't  decided 
to  call  upon  you  —  yet.  It  is  your  daughter  whom 
I  wish  to  see." 

It  was  months  since  the  bishop  had  given  Feli- 
city's advocacy  of  this  man  a  thought.  The  election 
seemed  to  have  killed  her  interest,  for  she  had  not 
spoken  of  him  since,  and  besides,  his  suspicions  were 
centred  solely  on  Leigh.  Perhaps,  then,  the  scheme 
was  one  of  charity,  and  the  mayor  had  planned  to 
begin  with  Felicity,  remembering  her  former  kind- 
ness. 

The  bishop  hesitated,  when  the  rustle  of  silken 
skirts  caused  him  to  turn  his  head,  but  he  greeted 
Felicity's  appearance  unperturbed. 

"  Oh,  here  you  are,  my  dear.  I  thought  you  had 
gone  out." 

"I  overheard  I  had  a  caller,"  she  returned,  taking 
her  husband's  hand  and  meeting  his  eyes  unflinch- 
ingly. "I  have  n't  had  a  chance  to  congratulate  you, 
Mr.  Emmet,  upon  your  election,  for  we  had  to  go 
South  the  next  day  on  account  of  father's  health. 
You  caught  me  at  the  feminine  trick  of  listening 
over  the  banisters." 

■h-  328  -i- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

The  bishop  was  secretly  annoyed  at  her  cordiality, 
but  still  confident  that  he  could  trust  his  daugh- 
ter to  remember  the  difference  between  a  common 
interest  in  charitable  work  and  social  equality. 

"I  leave  Mr.  Emmet  in  your  hands,"  he  said  to 
her.  "  I  have  a  little  business  at  the  Hall,  and  shall 
return  for  lunch." 

And  he  went  out,  thinking  how  like  a  bewildered 
yokel  the  mayor  seemed  in  the  face  of  his  daughter's 
graceful  greeting,  and  imagining  with  relish  his  fur- 
ther discomfiture. 

The  door  had  closed  behind  him,  and  as  yet 
Emmet  had  not  said  a  word  to  his  wife.  Even 
now  it  was  she  who  took  the  initiative. 

"Let  us  go  into  the  drawing-room,"  she  suggested, 
turning  and  leading  the  way.  He  followed  at  once, 
brushing  past  Lena  with  cruel  emphasis  of  manner. 
There  she  stood,  or  rather  leaned  against  the  wall, 
like  one  stricken.  The  jar  of  his  passing  seemed  to 
release  the  tension  of  her  limbs,  and  she  sank  down 
slowly,  noiselessly,  in  a  dead  faint.  Emmet  neither 
heeded  her  anguish  nor  heard  her  soft  fall  upon  the 
heavy  rug.  He  hurriedly  closed  the  drawing-room 
door  to  prevent  his  sweetheart  from  overhearing  his 
interview  with  his  wife,  and  strode  into  the  centre 
of  the  room,  where  Felicity  had  turned  at  bay. 

"What  have  you  come  for?"  she  asked  in  a  low 
voice.  Her  face  was  as  white  as  his  own,  but  her 
self-control  was  greater. 

-*  329  ♦" 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  For  you,  Felicity/'  he  answered.  "  You  are  my 
wife,  and  I  've  come  for  you." 

"I  did  n't  know,"  she  returned  relentlessly, 
"but  you  had  come  to  see  that  poor  girl  in  the  hall 
to  whom  you  gave  my  ring.  Looking  from  the  stairs, 
I  saw  by  her  manner  that  she  thought  so  too." 

"My  God,  Felicity!"  he  gasped,  "I  believe 
you  've  kept  her  in  this  house  like  a  bird  in  a  cage, 
to  torture  her  as  you  've  tortured  me.  Why  did  n't 
you  send  her  away,  when  you  discovered  I  'd  been 
making  love  to  her?" 

"For  your  greater  convenience?" 

"Oh,  as  for  that,"  he  retorted,  "when  you  left 
her  here  in  Warwick  and  went  away,  you  practically 
threw  her  into  my  arms.  But  I  did  n't  take  advan- 
tage of  it,  —  only  once,  —  and  then  I  stopped  short. 
That  was  what  I  came  to  explain.  I  want  you  to 
know  how  much  less  cause  you  have  to  throw  me 
over  in  this  way  than  you  think.  I  want  you  to  for- 
give me,  and  to  keep  your  promise.  She 's  nothing 
to  me  —  nothing.  She 's  no  more  to  me  than  any 
one  of  the  dozen  men  you  've  been  running  around 
with  are  to  you,  —  Cobbens,  for  example,  or  that 
young  professor  up  at  the  Hall." 

There  was  more  than  a  suggestion  of  scorn  in 
his  refusal  to  mention  his  real  rival  by  name,  and 
in  the  belittling  adjective.  His  assumption  that  she 
cared  nothing  for  Leigh  would  perhaps  have  found 
acceptance  in  her  mind  only  the  day  before,  but  now 
-••  330  +- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

a  memory  of  last  night's  scene  made  her  as  cruel  to 
her  husband  as  he  had  just  been  to  Lena  Harpster. 
She  looked  at  him  coolly,  aware  of  her  utter  awaken- 
ing from  the  adventurous  and  romantic  mood  she 
had  mistaken  for  love,  wondering  also  that  she 
should  ever  have  supposed  this  man  capable  of 
satisfying  her  ideal.  The  ideal  itself  had  vanished 
in  the  personality  of  the  man  who  had  taken  her 
in  his  arms  the  previous  night  and  poured  his  pas- 
sionate love  into  her  ears. 

"  It  is  n't  a  question  of  forgiving,  Tom,"  she  said, 
after  a  pause;  and  her  tone  was  conciliatory.  "It's 
a  question  of  discovery.  I  was  deceived  in  you.  I 
did  n't  think  you  capable  of  such  —  such  weakness 
and  vulgarity.  It  was  my  fault  of  judgement,  perhaps, 
but  the  awakening  is  fatal.    Can't  you  see  that  ?  " 

"What  do  you  mean  to  do?  "  he  demanded,  glar- 
ing at  her  helplessly.  Their  points  of  view  were  so 
different,  her  expression  so  unrelenting,  that  the 
self -justification  he  had  planned  to  speak  was  choked 
in  his  throat.  "  Do  you  mean  to  get  a  divorce  ?  I 
tell  you,  Felicity,  there  's  no  cause." 

"  I  don't  know  yet  what  I  mean  to  do,"  she  said 
frankly. 

"  I  '11  call  upon  your  father,  then,"  he  declared 
grimly,  "  and  see  what  he  thinks  of  it."  An  ugly 
gleam  shone  in  his  eyes,  as  he  uttered  the  threat.  It 
was  plain  now  that  love  for  his  wife  was  the  least  of 
his  motives  in  demanding  her;  there  was  ambition, 
-+  331  -♦- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

but,  strongest  of  all,  a  desire  for  revenge  on  the  bishop 
and  his  class.  He  would  make  them  accept  him 
at  last.  They  should  pay  dearly  for  their  scorn. 
"  I  '11  not  be  elbowed  out  of  the  way  and  kept  in  the 
closet  like  a  family  skeleton  any  longer,"  he  went 
on.  "  The  limit  of  my  endurance  has  been  reached. " 

Felicity  now  saw  clearly  what  she  had  brought 
upon  herself.  She  paled  with  fear,  and  flushed  with 
anger,  but  neither  emotion  coloured  her  reply. 

"  You  must  give  me  a  few  days  longer.  I  prefer 
to  see  my  father  first  —  alone.  I  will  let  you  know 
—  I'll  write." 

So  absorbed  were  they  in  their  own  tense  feelings 
that  they  failed  to  hear  the  opening  and  shutting  of 
the  front  door,  which  was  left  unlatched  during  the 
day  for  just  such  unconventional  calls  as  the  one 
Mrs.  Parr  now  happened  to  make.  The  first  intima- 
tion they  had  of  interruption  was  her  shrill  and  ter- 
ror-stricken cry  :  "  Felicity  !  Felicity  !  Your  maid 
is  here  in  the  hall  —  dead  !  " 

Emmet  reached  Lena's  side  first.  He  raised  her 
in  his  arms  and  carried  her  into  the  room  he  had 
just  left,  where  he  laid  her  gently  on  a  couch.  Feli- 
city had  already  run  upstairs  for  brandy  and  smell- 
ing-salts. Emmet,  standing  over  Lena  in  guilty  soli- 
citude, addressed  Mrs.  Parr. 

"  Open  the  window,"  he  said  brusquely,  "  and 
give  her  some  air." 

She  obeyed  without  question,  and  Felicity,  return- 
-h  332  *~ 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

ing  with  restoratives,  found  her  husband  hovering 
over  her  maid  with  tell-tale  anxiety  written  on  every 
feature,  while  her  friend  stood  at  the  window  look- 
ing on  in  curious  conjecture.  Together  they  bent 
over  the  girl's  white  face  and  moistened  her  lips  with 
brandy.  Presently,  Lena's  eyelids  fluttered  and  trem- 
bled open.  The  mayor  lifted  her  once  more,  as  if 
she  were  a  child,  and  stood  erect. 

"  I  '11  carry  her  to  her  room,"  he  said  to  Felicity, 
"  if  you  '11  show  me  the  way." 

"  It 's  two  flights  of  stairs,"  she  objected.  "  Per- 
haps she  had  better  stay  here  for  a  while." 

"  She  's  as  light  as  a  feather,  poor  girl,"  he  re- 
turned.   "  She  's  nothing  for  me  to  carry." 

"  You  forget,  Felicity,"  Mrs.  Parr  put  in,  with 
double  meaning,  "  that  Mr.  Emmet  is  an  athlete." 

Without  further  protest,  Felicity  led  the  way  up- 
stairs, and  Emmet  followed  with  his  burden.  It  was 
inevitable  that  the  gentle  clinging  of  those  arms 
about  his  neck,  the  pressure  of  her  golden  head, 
should  melt  his  heart  like  wax  and  make  temporary 
havoc  of  his  resolution.  Impulsively  he  bent  his 
face  until  it  rested  a  moment  in  her  hair.  Circum- 
stances had  thrown  them  together  once  more  in  their 
natural  relationship,  both  of  them  scorned,  each  need- 
ing and  understanding  the  other  in  a  peculiar  way. 
No  bold  claims  or  passionate  protests  could  have  won* 
the  tender  consideration  her  patient  suffering  drew 
from  him. 

-h-  333  -»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Felicity  opened  the  door,  and  stood  aside  to  let 
him  pass.  He  laid  Lena  carefully  on  her  little  bed 
and  arranged  her  pillow,  then  turned  toward  the 
door.  It  was  still  open,  though  his  wife  no  longer 
stood  there,  and  he  heard  the  diminishing  rustle 
of  her  skirts.  He  stood  looking  first  at  the  door 
and  then  back  again  at  the  bed,  irresolutely.  Lena 
opened  her  eyes  and  smiled  at  him  with  ineffable 
sweetness,  and  the  temptation  was  overpowering. 
He  took  one  noiseless  step  and  sank  upon  his  knees 
beside  her. 

"  Good-bye,  Lena,"  he  murmured  brokenly,  the 
stinging  and  unaccustomed  tears  springing  to  his 
eyes ;  "  good-bye,  my  poor  little  girl.  If  she  were 
not  my  wife  —  my  God,  Lena,  if  she  were  only 
not  my  wife  !  " 

The  revelation  could  add  nothing  to  the  emotions 
she  had  already  experienced.  She  was  sure  of  his 
love ;  in  her  weakness  and  spiritual  exaltation,  that 
was  enough.  They  were  now  bound  together  by  a 
common  tragedy,  and  she  knew  his  gain  was  loss. 
If  he  had  made  her  suffer,  he  had  brought  no  less 
suffering  upon  himself,  and  her  eyes  shone  with  a 
pitiful  triumph.  His  arms  were  about  her,  and  his 
cheek  was  pressed  to  her  own  upon  the  pillow.  Too 
weak  herself  to  speak,  or  even  to  weep,  her  eyes 
told  him  all  she  wished  to  say. 

"  Forgive  me,  Lena,"  he  entreated,  "  forgive  me 
before  I  go." 

-+  334  -H- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

"  I  do,  Tom,  dear,"  she  whispered.  "  You  know 
I  do." 

Her  words  fell  upon  his  soul  with  infinite  conso- 
lation. He  felt  that  he  had  received  the  pardon 
of  Heaven  for  his  sins,  and  could  now  depart  bravely 
to  work  out  his  penance.  Softened  and  exalted,  he 
little  realised  that  the  penance  was  unnecessary  and 
self-imposed,  that  the  mood  which  now  took  on  the 
heroic  tone  of  self-sacrifice  was  still  a  mood  of  self- 
seeking,  that  his  love  for  Lena  was  selfish  now  as  it 
had  always  been,  and  utterly  unworthy  of  the  devo- 
tion he  received.  It  was  true  that  he  loved  her,  but 
he  loved  himself  and  his  ambitions  and  revenges 
more.  Her  forgiveness  was  but  permission  to  indulge 
them  to  the  end.  Nevertheless,  when  he  found  Feli- 
city at  the  telephone  in  the  hall  below,  his  eyes  were 
still  bright  with  tears.  She  hung  up  the  receiver 
and  turned  to  him  coldly.  One  glance  at  his  face 
told  her  his  state  of  mind  and  justified  her  own. 
She  had  never  seen  him  at  his  worst  before.  Hypo- 
critical with  himself,  filled  with  mawkish  emotion 
that  sublimated  him  in  his  own  eyes,  yet  still  grimly 
bent  upon  his  original  purpose,  he  had  reached  the 
very  nadir  of  unattractiveness. 

"  I  have  sent  for  the  doctor,"  she  informed  him, 
in  the  tone  of  one  who  has  done  her  duty.  "  He 
will  be  here  soon." 

"  Your  answer,"  he  said  hoarsely.  "  I  cannot 
leave  without  an  answer." 

-+  335  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"I  will  write  —  soon,"  she  returned,  "but  leave 


me  now." 


Without  further  insistence  he  turned  from  her 
and  ran  downstairs.  He  was  out  on  the  sidewalk 
before  he  became  aware  that  his  head  was  uncovered. 
He  returned  to  the  drawing-room  and  found  his  hat 
on  the  floor,  where  it  had  fallen  from  his  hand  at 
Mrs.  Parr's  shrill  alarm.  She  stood  there  still,  wait- 
ing for  Felicity's  return,  but  neither  looked  at  the 
other  or  spoke  a  word,  frankly  and  mutually  con- 
temptuous. The  door  slammed  behind  him  a  second 
time,  and  almost  immediately  afterward  Felicity 
entered. 

"  Well,  Ella,"  she  said,  sinking  into  a  chair,  "  did 
you  ever  see  such  an  excitement?  I  never  had  a 
greater  shock  in  my  life  than  when  you  called  out 
that  she  was  dead.  I  'm  afraid  she 's  a  very  delicate 
girl,  but  she  's  coming  around  all  right,  and  I  've 
sent  for  the  doctor."  She  showed  unmistakably  the 
strain  she  had  endured. 

"  Felicity,"  her  friend  broke  out  excitedly, "  there 's 
something  here  I  don't  understand.  You  don't  mean 
to  tell  me  you  actually  allow  that  man  to  call  on 
you!" 

Miss  WyclifPe  opened  her  eyes  in  astonishment. 
"  What  a  goose  you  are,  Ella !  He  came  to  see  father. 
I  had  n't  time  to  find  out  what  he  wanted  when  you 
nearly  frightened  me  out  of  my  wits." 

Mrs.  Parr,  only  partially  convinced,  was  forced  to 
-+  336  +- 


THE    BISHOP'S    BLINDNESS 

accept  the  explanation ;  and  though  her  eyes  adum- 
brated reproach,  she  dared  not  say  more.  She  re- 
membered, however,  the  picture  of  Leigh  and  Felicity 
going  off  together  in  the  moonlight  the  previous 
evening,  and  was  reassured.  In  fact,  she  had  run  in 
to  gossip  about  the  young  man,  and  to  sound  his 
praises  with  design,  but  the  situation  she  encoun- 
tered at  her  entering  had  revived  her  old  suspicions 
concerning  Emmet.  Now  she  told  herself  that  they 
were  merely  a  habit  of  mind,  without  justification. 
She  recalled  the  mayor's  emotion  as  he  bent  over 
Lena,  his  averted  face  when  he  returned  for  his  hat, 
and  plunged  at  once  into  an  account  of  the  epi- 
sode at  the  inn,  which  she  had  hitherto  kept  to  her- 
self. Before  long  they  were  discussing  the  probable 
nature  of  the  tie  between  Emmet  and  Lena  with 
apparently  equal  interest  and  conjecture. 

About  this  time,  the  bishop,  coming  from  Dr. 
Renshaw's  office,  met  Leigh  face  to  face  on  the 
walk  as  he  was  returning  to  his  room  from  a  recita- 
tion, and  stopped  to  speak  to  him. 

"Mr.  Leigh,"  he  remarked,  with  an  observant 
twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "you  look  as  if  last  night's 
experience  had  been  too  much  for  you." 

"  We  had  enough  strenuous  excitement  to  keep 
any  one  awake,"  was  the  reply.  "  It  was  too  violent 
a  break  in  my  monastic  life." 

The  bishop's  smile  widened ;  his  innuendo  had 
been  skilfully  parried.  "  When  you  get  to  be  my 
-+  337  +r 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

age,"  he  said,  "  you  will  doubtless  take  your  politics 
more  calmly.  I  never  lose  sleep  now  over  the  vicis- 
situdes of  those  whom  the  fickle  crowd  has  raised  to 
honour.  How  does  the  line  run  ?  Hunc,  si  mobilium 
turba  Qidritium  —  but  you  probably  remember  your 
Horace  better  than  I  do." 

It  was  one  of  Bishop  Wycliffe's  little  perversities 
to  quote  Latin  at  the  devotees  of  science,  and  to  main- 
tain an  ironical  assumption  of  their  appreciation. 

"  I  don't  remember  a  word  of  my  Horace,"  Leigh 
declared.  It  was  not  the  first  time  he  had  given 
the  bishop  the  same  information,  and  this  fact  lent 
emphasis  to  his  tone. 

"  Too  bad,  too  bad,"  the  old  man  murmured.  "  I 
fear  the  rising  generation  has  no  atmosphere."  And 
he  went  on  his  way,  chuckling  genially. 


CONDITIONS 


CHAPTER  XVII 


CONDITIONS 


JLJR.  LEIGH,"  said  President  Renshaw,in  his  gentle 
and  measured  utterance,  "  I  sent  for  you  on  a  little 
matter  of  business,  for  a  few  minutes  of  conversation, 
if  you  are  at  leisure." 

The  young  astronomer  signified  that  his  time 
was  the  president's,  and  waited  for  his  next  words 
with  an  oppressive  sense  of  vague  foreboding.  They 
were  sitting  in  the  room  he  had  first  entered,  and 
Dr.  Renshaw  occupied  the  chair  in  which  he  then 
sat.  As  Leigh  glanced  about  the  room  and  back 
again  at  the  old  man's  face,  that  first  meeting  seemed 
but  yesterday,  so  unaltered  was  the  scene.  The  tall 
clock,  the  old  chair,  the  black  cloth  mitre  with  its 
tarnished  gold  insignia,  the  framed  plans  of  St. 
George's  Hall,  were  all  in  the  same  places.  The 
president  had  not  changed  in  the  interim ;  it  even 
seemed  that  he  had  not  moved.  But  beyond  the 
shapely  oval  of  the  old  man's  head  a  glimpse  of 
wintry  landscape  was  framed  by  the  narrow  win- 
dow, instead  of  that  earlier  vision  of  the  September 
morning. 

In  Leigh's  alert  and  sensitive  mood,  these  relics 
-«■  339  ■*■ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

taunted  him  with  their  own  permanence  in  the  face 
of  change.  Those  sticks  of  wood,  those  drawings, 
that  piece  of  black  cloth,  were  as  ancient  in  a  sense 
as  the  pyramids,  and  would  retain  their  places  while 
generations  came  before  them,  laboured  their  brief 
day,  and  then  vanished  as  a  puff  of  steam  vanishes 
into  blue  sky.  The  clock  had  long  since  run  down 
for  good,  and  seemed  by  virtue  of  this  very  fact  to 
have  gained  a  victory  over  time. 

"  You  remember,  doubtless,"  the  president  re- 
sumed, "  that  your  appointment  was  for  this  year 
only,  and  I  asked  you  to  come  in  to  —  in  short,  I 
should  like  to  inquire  whether  you  have  made  any 
plans  for  the  future." 

The  form  of  the  question  was  such  that  it  might 
have  been  merely  a  preface  to  an  offer  of  a  per- 
manent appointment,  but  Leigh  divined  too  clearly 
the  doctor's  inward  distress  to  give  it  such  an  in- 
terpretation. The  dismissal  of  which  he  now  felt 
assured  was  scarcely  a  surprise.  It  seemed  but  nat- 
ural that  the  greater  loss  of  Felicity  should  include 
the  lesser  loss  of  his  position,  and  he  smiled  bit- 
terly. 

"  You  mean  to  suggest,  sir,  that  some  such  plans 
on  my  part  are  advisable  ?  " 

"  We  might  say  it  amounts  to  that,"  Dr.  Renshaw 

returned  reluctantly.   His  age,  the  kindness  of  his 

manner  and  tone,  were  disarming,  and  his  listener 

entertained  no  more  personal  resentment  toward  him 

-+  340  +- 


CONDITIONS 


than  if  he  were  an  ancient  sibyl  uttering  of  necessity 
the  will  of  the  Fates. 

u  I  had  not  thought  it  necessary  to  make  plans 
for  next  year/'  he  said,  "  not  being  conscious  of  any 
shortcomings  on  my  part  sufficient  to  cause  my  dis- 
missal. I  am  well  aware  that  you  are  strictly  within 
your  rights,  and  that  I  have  no  legal  redress,  per- 
haps even  no  cause  of  complaint.  I  know  how  sub- 
ordinates in  business  are  turned  away  to  suit  the 
convenience,  or  at  the  whim,  of  their  superiors;  but 
in  most  colleges  there  is  a  sort  of  unwritten  law  that 
promotion  shall  follow  efficient  service.  As  a  rule, 
the  one  year  appointment  is  merely  a  safeguard  to 
protect  the  institution  from  a  man  seriously  incom- 
petent or  depraved.,, 

"I  know  —  I  know,"  the  president  interposed, 
raising  his  hand  as  if  to  ward  off  more  words.  "  And 
I  would  not  have  you  think  for  a  moment  that  we 
view  you  in  any  such  light.  On  the  contrary,  I  may 
say  that  personally  I  entertain  for  you  the  highest 
regard  and  consideration." 

"  What  is  the  matter,  then  ?  "  Leigh  demanded. 
u  It  seems  no  more  than  fair  that  I  should  be  told 
definitely  where  the  trouble  lies." 

The  other  reflected  awhile.  "  If  I  were  to  mention 
the  one  definite  complaint,  Mr.  Leigh,  it  would  not  sum 
up  the  whole  situation;  it  would  be  an  explanation 
that  only  partially  explained .  However,  the  complaint 
has  to  do  with  vour  discipline  in  the  class-room." 
-+  341  h- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Leigh  stared  incredulously.  "  Discipline  ?  "  he 
echoed. 

"  Disorder  in  your  class-room,"  Dr.  Renshaw  cor- 
roborated firmly.  "Those  passing  by  have  heard 
laughter  and  unseemly  shouts  from  within." 

"Who  could  have  made  such  a  report?"  Leigh 
wondered,  still  at  a  loss. 

"The  information  came  through  a  responsible 
channel,  through  one  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  cog- 
nisance of  such  things  and  to  report  them  to  the 
proper  authorities." 

He  was  surprised  to  see  that  his  listener  was  laugh- 
ing, not  without  a  suggestion  of  scornfulness.  "  I  've 
heard  the  same  unseemly  shouts  myself,  Dr.  Ren- 
shaw. They  come  from  class  meetings  and  athletic 
meetings  that  are  held  in  my  room  nearly  every 
day,  when  the  place  is  not  being  used  for  recitations. 
There  is  n't  a  word  of  truth  in  the  charge  against 
me." 

Dr.  Renshaw's  face  clouded,  and  he  cleared  his 
throat  uneasily.  "  Mr.  Leigh,"  he  said  with  dignity, 
"  I  told  you  that  the  complaint  would  fail  to  sum  up 
the  whole  situation.  We  may  say  Quaestio  cadit  in 
regard  to  that,  if  you  like.  Let  us  look  at  it  in  an- 
other light,  in  the  light  of  the  best  interests  of  the 
Hall  and  of  yourself.  There  is  a  question  of  general 
fitness  which  implies  no  criticism  upon  yourself,  upon 
your  scholarship  or  character.  We  are  a  homoge- 
neous community  here,  we  understand  each  other 
-*  342  -i- 


CONDITIONS 


and  cherish  the  ideals  which  this  college  was  built  to 
inculcate.  You  are  a  product  of  an  entirely  different 
tradition.  You  were  educated,  and  have  previously 
taught,  in  a  large  university,  and  this  makes  it  diffi- 
cult, perhaps  impossible,  for  you  to  appreciate  the 
needs  and  the  point  of  view  of  the  small  college. 
The  ideal  of  the  professor  in  a  university  is  self-im- 
provement and  personal  achievement;  but  in  the 
small  college,  the  teacher  is  expected  to  give,  above 
everything  else,  personal  service  and  devotion  to  the 
interests  of  his  students.  He  should  stand  to  a  large 
extent  sancti  parentis  loco.  I  do  not  say  that  you 
have  consciously  failed  to  improve  this  opportunity 
of  service ;  I  would  say  rather  that,  because  of  your 
previous  academic  experiences,  you  have  failed  to  see 
it.  The  conviction  has  therefore  been  forced  upon 
us,  in  spite  of  our  personal  regard  for  you  and  our 
appreciation  of  your  attainments,  that  you  would 
be  happier  and  more  useful  in  a  larger  institution, 
where  the  point  of  contact  begins  and  ends  in  the 
class-room.  In  short,  I  believe  you  will  agree  with 
us  that  the  experiment  has  not  been  altogether  a 
success  from  this  point  of  view.  I  accept  your  expla- 
nation of  the  specific  charge  gladly,  and  congratu- 
late you  upon  correcting  an  impression  that  did  you 
injustice." 

It  was  Leigh's  first  meeting  in  his  professional  life 
with  that  malign  experience,  injustice  in  the  garb  of 
plausibility,  from  which  there  is  no  appeal.    He  could 
-+  343  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

not  bring  himself  to  acquiesce  in  silence,  though  he 
knew  that  explanation  and  protest  were  vain. 

"  Dr.  Renshaw,"  he  rejoined,  in  a  voice  that  showed 
his  deep  chagrin  and  sense  of  wrong,  "  the  proved 
falsity  of  the  first  charge  throws  suspicion  on  the 
second,  which  is,  after  all,  mainly  a  conjecture  as  to 
my  state  of  mind  in  regard  to  St.  George's  Hall.  I 
must  plead  guilty  to  the  sin  of  personal  ambition; 
but  how  can  you  expect  a  man  to  become  entirely 
identified  with  the  spirit  of  a  place  in  a  few  months? 
It  is  evident  to  me  that  there  are  certain  men 
who  wish  me  gone,  for  reasons  best  known  to  them- 
selves, and  that  they  have  trumped  up  these  absurd 
charges."  He  flung  himself  to  his  feet  indignantly. 
"  This  merely  illustrates  how  easy  it  is  to  find  plau- 
sible complaints  against  any  man,  and  also  that 
even-handed  justice  is  the  last  thing  one  should  look 
for  in  the  world." 

The  president  rose  also.  They  were  standing 
almost  in  darkness,  but  the  afterglow  of  the  sun- 
set, streaming  through  the  western  windows  and  an 
intervening  door,  illumined  the  old  man's  face. 
His  expression  was  one  of  concern,  tempered  by 
an  humorous  appreciation  of  the  youthfulness  of 
Leigh's  last  remark. 

"  Young  man,"  he  said,  putting  his  hand  on  Leigh's 

shoulder,  much  as  if  he  were  admonishing  a  student, 

"  I  beg  you  not  to  allow  this  experience  to  colour 

your  views  with  cynicism,  for  cynicism  hurts  only 

-+  344  +- 


CONDITIONS 


the  cynic,  and  fails  to  take  account  of  all  the  facts 
of  life.  As  you  have  intimated,  even-handed  justice, 
inasmuch  as  it  implies  omniscience,  is  an  attribute  of 
God  alone,  but  we  have  not  been  consciously  unjust 
to  you,  according  to  our  light.  Personally  I  regret 
your  departure,  and  I  wish  to  assure  you  of  my  con- 
fidence in  your  future.  You  will  doubtless  one  day 
look  back  upon  this  apparent  contretemps  as  a  bless- 
ing in  disguise." 

Leigh  was  far  from  being  mollified  by  this  plati- 
tudinous commiseration,  though  he  credited  the  kind- 
ness of  heart  that  gave  it  birth ;  and  he  took  leave  of 
the  president  without  further  remark.  Then  he  went 
out  into  the  twilight,  more  deeply  humiliated  than 
ever  before  in  his  life. 

His  loss  of  Felicity  had  been  sweetened  by  love's 
triumph.  There  was  in  it  the  sustaining  exaltation 
of  tragedy,  and  a  lingering  ray  of  unreasonable  hope ; 
but  this  reverse  was  harder  to  bear,  in  that  he  suf- 
fered injustice  without  the  possibility  of  appeal,  and 
was  deprived  of  professional  importance  in  the  eyes 
of  the  woman  he  loved,  of  the  position  which,  slight 
as  it  must  seem  to  her,  was  yet  all  he  had  to  offset 
her  wealth  and  social  consequence. 

There  are  times  when  even  the  stoutest  hearts  are 
appalled  by  the  cruel  handicap  of  poverty,  when  they 
are  tempted  to  throw  over  their  ideal,  to  rush  into 
the  market-place  and  make  money  by  fair  means  or 
foul,  that  they  may  return  and  shake  it  in  the  faces 
-H-  345  *, 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

of  their  foes.  Leigh  knew  well  that  the  possession 
of  means  would  have  made  him  immune  from  this 
attack,  would  have  won  him  consideration  instead  of 
contumely,  compliments  instead  of  complaints.  The 
Roman  satirist,  eating  out  his  soul  with  bitterness 
against  the  insolence  of  wealth,  said  that  poverty's 
greatest  bane  was  the  fact  that  it  made  men  ridicu- 
lous. He  was  speaking,  to  be  sure,  of  clothes;  but 
what  could  be  more  ridiculous  than  an  assumption 
of  equality,  based  upon  equal  education  and  breed-* 
ing,  between  the  poor  and  the  rich  ? 

The  young  mathematician  had  not  yet  established 
a  commanding  professional  reputation.  He  had 
given  up  a  position  which  was  now  filled  by  one  of 
the  fifty  applicants  that  had  rushed  to  seize  it ;  his 
present  position  at  St.  George's,  he  knew,  could  be 
filled  as  easily.  He  had  not  the  consolation  of  know- 
ing himself  to  be  valuable  to  the  institution.  No  one 
would  rise  up  indignantly  and  take  his  part ;  no  one 
would  care  what  became  of  him,  except  Felicity,  and 
pride  alone  would  keep  him  from  appealing  to  her. 

He  looked  up  at  the  great  towers,  buttressed  by 
deep  shadows,  as  if  he  bade  them  farewell.  Already 
they  seemed  to  take  on  a  strange  and  unfriendly  as- 
pect. This  mass  of  masonry  had  expressed  hostility 
to  him  on  that  September  morning,  he  had  read  a 
warning  in  each  impassive  or  grinning  gargoyle,  and 
now,  as  he  passed  by,  he  could  almost  imagine  that 
they  gave  sibilant  expression  to  their  accomplished 
-+  346  1- 


CONDITIONS 


malice.  He  realised  how  completely  he  had  forgot- 
ten that  first  impression  and  allowed  his  imagination 
to  be  captured  by  the  place.  Where  now  were  the 
dreams  in  which  he  had  lately  begun  to  indulge, 
visions  of  the  finished  square,  of  turret  and  gable 
and  tower,  of  gothic  gateways,  of  foliated  chapel 
windows  glimmering  high  in  the  darkened  wall  at 
evening  ? 

Like  one  stunned  by  an  unexpected  blow,  he  con- 
tinued his  walk,  until  he  came  to  Birdseye  Avenue 
and  paused  in  front  of  the  bishop's  house.  Did  he 
really  intend  to  keep  his  promise  never  to  see  Felicity 
again?  If  so,  why  was  he  even  now  measuring  the 
distance  between  himself  and  those  lighted  windows? 
Perhaps  some  chance  would  yet  throw  her  in  his  way ; 
but  he  would  not  risk  her  contempt  by  following  the 
prompting  of  his  heart  and  presenting  himself  before 
her  only  three  days  after  his  expressed  renunciation. 
Besides,  the  bishop  might  be  there  ;  and  what  had 
he  discovered  since  they  last  met  ?  His  conscious- 
ness of  wrong-doing  in  regard  to  Felicity  deprived 
him  of  the  desire  to  meet  the  bishop  face  to  face  and 
to  demand  an  explanation.  Was  there  not,  after  all, 
reason  enough  for  the  bishop's  action,  if  he  knew 
all?  This  thought  robbed  Leigh  of  the  satisfaction 
of  a  righteous  indignation,  which  until  now  he  had 
cherished  as  justifiable.  He  was  fair  enough  to  admit 
that  he  had  received  what  he  deserved,  on  other 
than  professional  grounds,  and  having  reached  the 
-+  347  •»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

lowest  depth  of  unhappiness,  he  began  to  retrace  his 
steps  disconsolately  toward  the  college. 

A  philosopher  once  said  that  every  man  has  in  him 
at  least  one  poem  which  he  could  write  under  the 
stress  of  great  emotion,  and  that  night  Leigh  uncon- 
sciously exemplified  the  truth  of  the  saying.  It  was 
near  the  dawn  when  he  descended  from  the  tower, 
having  left  upon  the  table  by  the  telescope  this  frag- 
mentary record  of  his  vigil. 

THE  MORNING  WATCH 

Be  resolute,  my  soul, 
And  battle  till  the  day, 
My  strength  is  manifold, 
If  only  thou  art  gay ; 
Since  friendship  takes  its  flight, 
Since  love  is  far  outgrown, 
Here,  in  the  silent  night, 
I  watch  alone. 

And  sing  a  song,  my  soul, 
A  bitter  song  and  bright, 
While  fleeting  hours  unroll 
The  enigmatic  night ; 
The  saddest  souls  must  sing  — 
Ah,  happy  those  that  weep ! 
So  laugh,  till  death  shall  bring 
Unending  sleep. 

Now  let  me  lie  in  peace 
On  Nature's  passive  breast. 
Since  human  love  must  cease, 
And  life  is  all  unblest, 

-*  348  +- 


CONDITIONS 


And  watch  the  stars  outspread 
Within  the  brimming  blue  — 
But  Abraham  is  dead 
Who  saw  them  too. 

And  millions,  ages  hence, 
Shall  watch  the  steady  stars, 
And  question  Why  and  Whence 
Behind  their  prison  bars ; 
Bui  if  no  love  shall  give 
A  light  upon  the  way, 
How  can  they  dare  to  live 
Until  the  day  ? 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


"two  sister  vessels" 


lHE  January  thaw  now  took  on  a  sinister  and 
unwholesome  phase,  preparatory  to  its  final  retreat 
before  the  onslaught  of  returning  winter.  The  heavy 
snowfall  was  reduced  to  a  few  discoloured  streaks 
lingering  in  the  deeper  ruts  and  hollows,  and  the 
brown  earth,  never  so  unlovely,  exhaled  faint  wreaths 
of  vapour  that  caused  old-fashioned  folk  to  shake 
their  heads  and  to  speak  of  full  graveyards.  The  sun 
seemed  to  draw  up  in  the  form  of  mist  more  and 
more  of  the  water  that  had  been  soaking  into  the  soil. 
People  moved  about  in  a  dank  haze,  that  rose  grad- 
ually to  the  tops  of  the  houses,  until  by  noontime  it 
had  obscured  the  moist  blue  sky  and  turned  the  sun 
into  a  dull-red  disk  set  in  a  golden  aura.  There  was 
something  ominous  in  the  strange  atmosphere  thus 
engendered,  in  the  dimming  and  distorting  of  archi- 
tectural lines,  in  the  muffling  of  familiar  sounds. 
The  unseasonable  conditions  resembled  in  some  way 
what  in  other  climates  is  called  earthquake  weather, 
when  Nature  seems  to  be  throwing  a  veil  over  the 
world  to  hide  the  monstrous  deed  she  is  about  to 
commit. 

-+  350  +- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

Those  whose  lives  were  happy,  drawing  their  breath 
with  a  sense  of  oppression,  imagined  impending 
trouble,  while  those  with  real  tragedies  to  bear  now 
found  them  almost  insupportable. 

Early  in  the  day,  St.  George's  Hall  looked  down 
from  its  lofty  ridge  upon  basins  of  mist  that  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  white  lakes  in  the  mead- 
ows below.  Gradually  the  tide  rose  above  the  long, 
low  hall,  until  the  towrers  seemed  to  rest  on  clouds. 
Finally  the  whole  mass  disappeared,  to  loom  up  larger 
than  reality  to  the  eyes  of  one  approaching  from  the 
city.  As  night  came  on,  the  lights  from  the  windows 
cut  lurid  pathways  into  the  surrounding  obscurity. 
A  gradual  chill  crept  along  the  ground,  thinning 
the  fog  and  disclosing  at  intervals  ghostly  glimmer- 
ings of  the  moon. 

Through  this  strange  medium  two  figures  were 
toiling  up  the  street  that  flanked  the  northern  limit 
of  the  campus.  Under  normal  conditions,  the  second 
could  easily  have  seen  the  one  in  advance,  but  now 
his  view  was  obstructed,  and  though  he  gained  rap- 
idly, he  had  reached  the  entrance  of  the  maple  w^k 
before  the  mist  in  front  of  him  seemed  to  concen- 
trate into  a  flitting  shadow  that  resembled  a  woman's 
form.  The  young  astronomer  had  been  wandering 
for  hours  in  a  vain  search  for  diversion,  and  the 
vision  before  him,  embodying  as  it  did  the  subject 
upon  which  his  mind  had  been  concentrated,  caused 
him  to  stand  still  in  a  tumult  of  emotion.  The  next 
-+  351  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

moment  it  was  gone,  and  he  believed  that  he  had 
been  visited  by  an  hallucination.  Recently,  that 
earlier  picture  of  Felicity  beside  the  lamp  had  given 
place  in  his  imagination  to  one  associated  with  a 
deeper  experience.  He  had  just  pictured  her  in  her 
scarlet  cloak  and  hood ;  then  he  had  looked  up  to 
see  the  same  figure  vanishing  before  his  eyes. 

A  moment's  reflection  convinced  him  of  the  psy- 
chic nature  of  the  phenomenon.  In  all  the  range  of 
human  probabilities,  what  errand  could  lead  her  at 
ten  o'clock  on  such  a  night  to  that  lonely  hilltop, 
and  on  down  the  road  into  the  country  beyond? 
It  was  manifest  that  his  own  mind  had  shaped  the 
vision  from  the  pale  vapours,  and  he  realised  how 
weary  and  overwrought  he  had  become.  His  sensa- 
tion was  now  almost  one  of  fear,  as  if  he  had  seen 
the  ghost  of  a  loved  one  rising  out  of  the  mists  of  a 
remote  and  passionate  past.  A  strange  impulse  seized 
him  to  follow  the  phantom  further,  but  he  was  shiv- 
ering with  the  penetrating  dampness  to  which  he  had 
been  long  exposed,  and  instead  he  continued  his  way 
toward  his  room. 

Had  he  obeyed  his  impulse,  he  would  soon  have 
overtaken  the  living  form  which  he  imagined  to  be 
an  apparition  of  the  mind.  Felicity  did  not  keep 
straight  ahead,  however,  to  the  westward,  but  paused 
at  the  brow  of  the  hill,  breathing  deep  after  her 
long  climb,  conscious  that  the  rapid  beating  of  her 
heart  was  not  wholly  due  to  her  recent  exertion. 
■h-  352  +? 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

It  was  the  prospect  of  a  meeting  now  imminent  that 
caused  the  painful  tumult  in  her  side  and  the  widen- 
ing of  her  dark  eyes  as  she  looked  up  at  the  saffron 
blur  which  marked  the  position  of  the  moon.  Yet 
there  was  resolution  in  her  step  as  she  turned  south- 
ward and  took  the  road  that  passed  between  the 
college  and  the  cliff.  In  spite  of  the  long  thaw,  the 
gravelled  track  was  firm  beneath  her  feet,  and  she 
walked  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  Hall,  her  face 
pale  and  set,  her  warm  breath  mingling  with  the 
swirling  mist. 

Leigh  was  also  progressing  in  the  same  direction 
by  the  almost  parallel  path  between  the  maples,  but 
somewhat  in  advance  of  Felicity,  inasmuch  as  she 
had  climbed  to  the  very  summit  of  the  hill  before 
turning,  while  the  course  he  took  extended  diago- 
nally across  the  campus  from  a  point  further  down. 
Thus  it  happened  that  he  had  gained  his  rooms  by 
the  time  she  came  opposite  his  western  windows.  As 
she  glanced  up  at  them  in  passing,  their  location  in 
the  wall  became  more  clearly  defined  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  glimmering  light  within.  She  saw  Leigh, 
with  his  hat  and  coat  still  on,  come  from  his  east- 
ern room,  holding  a  candle  in  his  hand.  He  stood 
under  the  chandelier,  raised  the  candle,  and  lighted 
the  jets  of  gas.  Then  he  advanced  to  the  windows, 
and  pulled  the  curtains  down  with  a  decisive  motion, 
that  expressed  his  inward  determination  to  shut  out 
all  ghostly  imaginings  with  the  night. 
-*  353  -»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Felicity  stood  for  some  time  regarding  the  yellow 
squares  in  the  murky  expanse  of  the  wall.  She  re- 
flected that  he  might  have  been  very  near  her  in  the 
mist  but  a  few  moments  before,  since  he  must  have 
entered  the  grounds  by  the  maple  walk.  The  other 
path,  by  the  bishop's  statue  and  across  the  fields, 
was  seldom  used  in  winter,  and  was  now  impracti- 
cable because  of  the  soggy  condition  of  the  turf.  The 
possible  results  of  the  meeting,  which  had  evidently 
been  avoided  by  mere  accident,  perhaps  only  by  the 
thickness  of  the  atmosphere,  were  incalculable,  and 
sent  the  blood  to  her  cheeks  in  a  sudden  glow. 

The  memory  of  their  last  meeting  flooded  her 
whole  being  warmly,  to  be  followed  by  a  dreary  real- 
isation of  their  present  position.  The  very  drawing 
of  the  curtains  between  them  seemed  symbolical,  not 
so  much  of  his  expressed  determination  to  see  her  no 
more  as  of  the  relentlessness  of  Fate.  She  believed 
that  he  was  strong  enough  to  keep  his  promise,  and 
knew  how  gladly  she  would  have  him  break  it.  Her 
actual  situation  at  the  moment,  shut  out  from  him 
and  standing  alone  in  the  night,  gave  her  longing 
an  intensity  which  she  had  not  hitherto  experienced. 
She  wondered  whether  he  would  have  taken  her  in 
his  arms  and  kissed  her  good-bye  once  more,  had  he 
overtaken  her  upon  the  hill.  Presently  she  resumed 
her  way,  thinking  of  the  man  she  was  leaving  there 
in  his  lonely  tower  rather  than  of  the  man  she  was 
so  soon  to  meet. 

-*  354  *- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

Some  quarter  of  a  mile  further  on,  she  came  to 
a  huge  button-ball  tree  that  marked  the  try  sting- 
place.  Its  great  trunk  and  long  branches,  spotted 
with  white  patches,  like  scars  on  the  twisted  limbs  of 
a  giant,  confronted  her  as  a  hideous  and  uncanny 
thing.  This  tree,  the  only  kind  in  all  the  country 
that  lacked  beauty  of  line  and  colour,  received  a 
touch  of  ghastliness  from  the  atmosphere  that  en- 
veloped it  which  was  not  without  its  effect  upon  her 
imagination,  and  when  she  saw  the  mayor  emerge 
from  its  shadow,  she  started  as  if  she  were  con- 
fronted by  a  highwayman. 

"  Is  it  you,  Felicity  ?  "  he  ventured  anxiously.  "  I 
thought  you  were  never  coming." 

"  Was  I  late  ?  "  she  returned.  "  I  did  n't  mean  to 
be ;  but  let  us  walk  further  on.  We  can  talk  as 
we  go." 

As  she  caught  sight  of  the  eager  light  in  his  eyes 
and  noted  the  intonation  of  his  voice,  she  divined 
that  his  mood  was  radically  different  from  that  which 
had  carried  him  to  her  house  in  hot  haste  a  few 
mornings  before.  Then,  he  was  burning  with  a  sensj 
of  humiliation,  frantic  with  the  thought  that  she  was 
slipping  from  his  grasp,  embittered  by  baffled  am- 
bition, and  determined  to  assert  his  rights.  Now, 
softer  emotions  held  sway  in  his  heart.  The  mem- 
ory of  that  scene  in  the  opera  house  had  grown  less 
galling.  He  was  soothed  by  the  blandishments  of 
resilient  self-esteem  and  by  his  friends'  more  flatter- 
-+  355  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

ing  interpretation  o£  the  incident.  Indeed,  looked 
at  from  one  perspective,  it  was  a  most  impressive 
vindication  of  his  official  dignity  against  the  slight 
that  had  been  put  upon  it.  A  new  point  of  view 
had  somehow  sprung  from  his  brief  contact  with  the 
President.  For  the  first  time,  Cobbens  and  his  kind 
appeared  to  him  the  provincials  they  were.  They  no 
longer  blocked  his  whole  horizon,  like  the  lion  in 
the  way.  Dim  dreams  of  wider  ambitions,  vague  ex- 
hilarations, stirred  within  him.  He  began  to  think 
it  possible  to  transcend  Warwick.  Thus  his  temper 
was  less  bitter  than  before,  his  poise  was  less  a  pose, 
the  result  of  a  new  adjustment  of  values. 

"  Felicity,"  he  began,  almost  happily,  "  I  could  n't 
help  thinking,  as  I  stood  there  waiting  for  you,  how 
often  I  have  waited  in  the  same  way  before.  Just 
think  of  it,  Felicity,  for  years  and  years  !  It  seems 
almost  a  lifetime,  so  much  has  happened  in  the  in- 
terval. Did  you  notice  this  coat  and  cap  ?  They  're 
the  same  I  used  to  wear  when  you  began  to  take  my 
car  rather  than  any  other.  A  pretty  good  disguise 
for  the  mayor  of  Warwick,  don't  you  think?" 

A  pain  went  through  her  heart,  not  for  a  lost  love, 
but  for  the  vanished  dreams  of  girlhood.  The  chord 
he  had  hoped  to  touch  remained  mute.  In  view  of 
the  fact  that  she  believed  love  to  be  dead  between 
them,  this  method  of  stimulating  an  outworn  ro- 
mance seemed  sentimental  and  insincere.  Had  he 
loved  her,  she  might  well  have  thought  it  boyish  and 
■h.  356  -»- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

pathetic.  What  he  spoke  of  as  a  disguise  had  seemed 
so  natural  as  to  escape  her  notice  ;  and  this  indicated 
the  height  from  which  she  had  never  really  descended 
and  could  now  never  descend.  He  had  lost  his  great 
opportunity  of  appearing  the  mayor  in  her  eyes.  It 
was  no  part  of  her  plan,  however,  to  emphasise  this 
difference  between  them,  for  she  had  seen  what  vin- 
dictive passions  a  realisation  of  the  fact  might  arouse 
within  him.  Full  of  the  warmth  of  his  own  emotions, 
he  failed  to  grasp  the  significance  of  her  unrespon- 
siveness. 

"  But  have  you  spoken  to  the  bishop  yet,  as  you 
promised  to  ?  "  he  asked  eagerly. 

"  No,  I  have  n't  —  I  could  n't,  yet." 

"I'm  glad  of  it,"  he  returned  buoyantly.  "I 
wanted  another  chance  to  see  you  before  you  spoke 
to  him,  to  set  myself  right  with  you.  I  did  n't  mean 
to  threaten  you,  Felicity.  I  knew  that  was  no  way  to 
win  forgiveness,  but  I  was  n't  myself.  Can't  you 
see  how  the  long  waiting  for  you  almost  drove  me 
mad  ?  But  now  we  're  together  again  in  the  old  way, 
and  I  feel  that  I  can  explain  everything  so  that  yoi; 
can  understand.  Everything  that 's  happened  lately 
to  keep  us  apart  seems  a  dream,  something  utterly 
unreal.  Come,  Felicity,  don't  you  think  our  meeting 
was  rather  a  cold  one,  after  such  a  long  separation  ? 
Have  n't  I  won  the  prize  you  set  for  me  to  win,  and 
are  you  going  to  deny  me  my  reward?"  He  made 
as  if  he  would  put  his  arm  about  her,  but  she  shrank 
-+  357  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

away  with  such  emphatic  and  spontaneous  denial 
that  he  desisted  in  chagrin.  "  After  all  there  has 
been  between  us/'  he  protested,  "  are  you  going  to 
let  a  passing  flirtation  outweigh  the  fact  that  we  are 
man  and  wife?" 

Felicity  had  somehow  not  anticipated  that  he 
would  attempt  to  kiss  her,  and  the  movement  set 
her  quivering  as  at  an  outrage. 

"Has  there  really  been  so  much  between  us, 
Tom  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Does  n't  it  all  seem  a  great 
mistake,  which  it  would  be  better  to  acknowledge 
frankly,  rather  than  to  assume  the  existence  of  some- 
thing that  has  ceased  to  exist?" 

"  And  whose  mistake  was  it  ?  "  he  demanded,  with 
sudden  fierceness.    "  Tell  me  that." 

"  Mine,"  she  admitted.  "  You  know  how  I  came 
to  make  it — the  narrowness  of  my  life  that  yet 
seemed  so  broad,  the  insignificance  of  the  artificial 
men  I  knew,  the  longing  for  romance,  for  a  love 
affair  with  a  flavour  of  risk  and  adventure  in  it.  You 
must  n't  hold  me  now  to  that  girl's  dream,  since  you 
were  the  one  that  waked  me  from  it.  You  showed 
me  first  that  we  really  did  n't  care  for  each  other. 
If  you  loved  me,  why  did  you  take  up  with  the  first 
pretty  servant-girl  you  met  ?  " 

She  had  not  meant  to  recall  their  difference  in 
class,  but  in  Lena's  station  in  life  lay  the  chief  sting 
of  his  offence,  and  the  f*act  could  not  be  concealed. 

"  Why?  Why?"  he  echoed.  "Because  she  loved 
-+  358  +- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

me  more  than  you  did,  —  if  you  ever  loved  me  at  all, 
—  because  you  starved  my  heart  and  made  me  feel 
that  you  were  not  my  wife  at  all,  but  only  a  patron- 
ess who  had  taken  me  up  to  make  something  of  me, 
with  an  indefinite  promise  of  a  reward  at  the  end 
of  it,  if  I  would  be  a  good  little  boy  and  do  as  you 
told  me,  and  keep  out  of  mischief,  and  win  a  prize. 
What  kind  of  a  position  is  that  to  put  a  man  in?" 

"  I  supposed  the  reward  was  worth  working  and 
waiting  for,"  she  retorted  coolly.  "  You  're  whipping 
yourself  into  a  passion  now,  Tom,  but  you  know 
in  your  heart  that  my  cruelty  to .  you,  if  it  was 
cruelty,  was  not  as  great  as  your  cruelty  to  Lena. 
I  would  have  kept  my  promise,  and  you  know  it, 
if  you  had  not  yourself  forfeited  all  claim  to  my 
respect.    I  supposed  you  were  a  strong  man  "  — 

"And  have  I  no  wrongs?"  he  broke  in.  "Did 
you  think  I  was  n't  a  man  at  all,  but  just  a  lump 
of  putty  to  be  moulded  by  your  hands  ?  How  do 
you  suppose  I  felt  when  we  were  married  in  New 
York,  and  you  left  me  at  the  very  door  of  the 
church  ?  " 

"  I  did  n't  realise  till  then  what  I  had  done,"  she 
gasped,  the  panic  of  that  moment  returning  to  her, 
"  and  I  had  to  leave  you." 

"  But  I  did  realise  it,"  he  cried  bitterly,  "  as  any 

man  would  have  realised  it.    I  realised  nothing  else. 

I  walked  the  streets,  wondering  whether  it  was  a 

practical  joke.    You  made  a  fool  of  me.    You  did  n't 

-+  359  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

tell  me  beforehand  that  you  were  going  to  play  such 
a  trick  on  me." 

"Trick!"  . 

"  Yes,  trick !  What  else,  in  the  name  of  God, 
was  it  ?  It  seemed  like  nothing  else,  at  first.  I  could 
hardly  remember  what  you  said,  — you  spoke  so  con- 
fused and  were  so  anxious  to  get  away,  —  but  finally 
I  figured  it. out  that  you  were  just  scared,  and  that 
I  would  have  to  wait  a  little  while  for  you  to  get 
used  to  the  idea  that  you  were  my  wife."  He 
paused,  choked  by  emotion.  "  I  waited,  God  knows," 
he  went  on,  "  waited  for  nearly  three  years.  And 
what  did  I  get  ?  A  few  stolen  meetings  and  a  few 
kisses,  not  very  genuine  ones  at  that.  Somehow  you 
carried  the  thing  out  in  your  father's  high-handed 
way.  I  could  n't  break  through  and  get  at  you. 
Every  time  we  met  I  thought  I  would,  but  instead  I 
took  advice  and  promises,  until  it  became  a  habit  of 
mind.  I  became  tired  of  the  mockery,  and  heart- 
sick. You  made  yourself  seem  less  and  less  my  wife. 
And  when  I  did  n't  see  you  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and 
when  I  was  filled  with  resentment,  I  met  Lena  "  — 

"  And  did  the  very  thing  that  lost  me  to  you  for- 
ever," she  supplemented  relentlessly. 

They  had  come  to  a  point  where  the  road  ascended 
and  ran  along  the  margin  of  a  great  stone  quarry, 
from  which  the  material  that  went  into  the  building 
of  St.  George's  Hall  had  been  hewn.  The  air  had 
grown  momently  colder,  condensing  the  mist,  which 
-*  360  4- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

now  floated  away  in  milky  wreaths,  disclosing  the 
full  moon  shining  down  upon  the  wide  sweep  of  the 
valley  toward  the  west.  Stung  to  madness  by  her 
words,  he  stopped  and  turned  upon  her,  but  his 
answer  died  on  his  lips,  for  he  looked  into  a  face  of 
such  surpassing  beauty  that  he  seemed  never  to  have 
seen  it  truly  before.  The  gathered  crimson  hood 
invested  it  with  something  of  the  sorcery  that  Leigh 
had  felt,  that  any  man  must  have  felt.  The  divinity 
that  had  hitherto  hedged  about  the  bishop's  daugh- 
ter vanished  for  the  first  time  like  a  vanishing  mist, 
and  left  her  only  an  irresistible  woman  standing 
alone  with  him  in  the  moonlight. 

The  impulse  that  swept  over  him  was  one  of 
sheer  desire.  Lena  had  taught  him  what  a  woman's 
kisses  could  be,  kisses  such  as  Felicity  had  never 
given  him,  such  as  he  would  now  have  from  her  as 
his  right.  Before  she  could  anticipate  his  intention, 
he  had  seized  her  roughly  and  strained  her  to  his 
breast  with  a  violence  that  hurt. 

"  Felicity  !  "  he  cried  in  savage  delight,  "  I  could 
make  you  come  to  me  now.  You  are  my  wife  —  I 
tell  you,  my  wife  !  " 

She  managed  to  free  herself  from  his  grasp,  and 
having  retreated  a  few  steps,  she  faced  him,  white 
with  anger.  Leigh's  embrace  had  been  passionate, 
and  had  fired  her  blood  with  an  answering  emotion, 
but  Emmet's  was  an  assault,  arousing  within  her 
an  implacable  resentment. 

-+  361  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  I  am  not  your  wife ! "  she  cried,  quivering. 
"  Marriage  or  no  marriage,  I  am  not  your  wife,  and 
never  will  be.  After  what  has  passed  between  you 
and  that  girl,  how  dared  you  kiss  me  —  how  dared 
you  ?  When  you  came  down  to  me  —  the  other 
morning  —  from  her  room  —  and  found  me  in  the 
hall  —  did  n't  I  see  in  your  face  —  in  your  tears  — 
the  state  of  your  mind  ?  " 

In  her  heart  she  believed  it  probable  that  he  had 
wronged  Lena  to  the  greatest  extent  that  a  man  can 
wrong  a  woman.  He  did  not  divine  the  extent  of 
her  suspicions,  however,  and  unfortunately  his  next 
words  deepened  them  to  practical  certainty. 

"  God  help  me,"  he  groaned.  "  You  've  told  the 
truth.  You  're  not  my  wife  and  never  have  been, 
but  you  've  kept  her  from  being,  poor  girl.  You  've 
made  me  wrong  her  —  perhaps  kill  her,  for  all  I 
know." 

Something  of  the  wild  and  tragic  strain  that  lies 
so  deep  in  the  Celtic  race  now  rose  to  the  surface 
and  transformed  him.  He  took  a  step  forward  and 
seized  her  by  the  wrist. 

"  I  could  end  it  all  at  once  by  dragging  you  with 
me  over  the  cliff,  and  I  don't  know  but  I  will ! " 

Powerless  in  his  grasp,  she  stood  on  the  very  edge 
of  the  rock  that  fell  away  sheer  before  them  to  the 
depth  of  two  hundred  feet.  He  looked  down  into 
the  basin,  showing  here  and  there  in  the  hollows  a 
pool  mirrored  in  the  moonlight,  and  shapeless  masses 
-i-  362  *- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

of  machinery  and  stone.  Whether  he  had  really 
been  in  earnest,  or  had  only  imagined  himself  to 
be,  the  vision  of  that  cruel  abyss  made  him  pause, 
shuddering.  But  Felicity  had  not  taken  her  eyes 
from  his  face.  Now  he  turned  to  meet  them,  not 
distended  with  fear,  but  fixed  upon  him  in  discern- 
ing scorn.  She  even  made  no  effort  to  free  her 
wrist,  but  stood  poised  on  the  brink  with  an  appar- 
ent unconcern,  that  reestablished  her  ascendancy  as 
if  by  magic. 

"  You  're  merely  acting  now,  Tom,"  she  said  calmly. 
"  You  don't  want  to  die,  and  you  have  no  intention 
of  killing  me.  You  've  got  too  much  to  live  for,  to 
throw  your  life  away  in  that  fashion.  When  you  've 
had  time  to  think  it  over,  you  '11  discover  that  it 
was  n't  love  that  made  you  want  me,  but  ambition. 
The  love  was  gone  long  ago,  but  the  ambition  re- 
mains.   You  want  to  live  for  that." 

He  dropped  her  wrist,  and  cowered  away  from 
the  cliff  as  if  he  were  shrinking  from  a  nightmare 
horror,  while  she  began  to  move  slowly  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  college.  The  very  act  of  retreat  aroused 
within  her  the  emotion  which,  curiously  enough,  she 
had  not  experienced  in  the  crisis  of  danger.  It  was 
not  fear  that  made  her  flee,  but  her  flight  that  pro- 
duced the  fear  ;  and  the  possibility  of  the  crime,  the 
grewsome  picture  it  suggested,  flashed  upon  her 
with  such  sinister  power  that  her  knees  weakened 
and  caused  her  to  stumble.  He  overtook  her  in  a 
-#■  363  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

few  long  strides,  and  walked  beside  her  in  dumb 
penitence. 

"  You  '11  never  forgive  me  now,  Felicity,"  he  said, 
when  he  could  bear  the  silence  no  longer,  "  never 
—  never ! " 

"  We  '11  not  talk  of  forgiveness  any  more  on  either 
side,"  she  returned  wearily.  "  We  're  merely  going 
round  and  round  in  a  circle,  without  arriving  at 
any  conclusion." 

His  own  nature  shared  her  reaction  from  intense 
emotion  to  indifference,  and  again  silence  fell  between 
them.  Apparently,  they  were  scarcely  better  able  to 
understand  each  other  than  if  they  spoke  in  different 
languages,  and  each  took  refuge  in  incommunicable 
thoughts.  It  would  always  be  thus,  she  reflected,  if 
they  lived  together ;  no  community  of  interests,  her- 
self living  in  a  region  apart,  which  he  was  genera- 
tions short  of  being  able  to  enter.  Nothing  would 
remain  but  practical  politics,  and  already  she  sick- 
ened of  the  sordid  subject.  Unionism,  public  own- 
ership of  public  utilities  versus  private  privilege, 
charges  and  counter-charges  of  political  corruption, 
problems  of  taxation  —  such  things  would  consti- 
tute his  sole  interest  in  life  and  the  gist  of  his 
conversation.  It  was  not  enough  that  he  talked  in- 
telligently, even  eloquently,  on  these  subjects.  Her 
active  mind  had  already  exhausted  their  possibilities, 
and  what  to  her  was  a  mere  by-play  of  the  intellect 
was  to  him  the  be-all  and  end-all  of  existence.  Of 
-+  364  h- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

the  books  she  had  given  him,  he  understood  and 
appropriated  only  those  parts  that  related  to  his 
subject.  All  the  rest  was  lost :  the  literary  quality, 
the  atmosphere,  the  historic  perspective.  To  him  it 
could  never  mean  anything  that  Plato  saw  the  Par- 
thenon. 

This  fact  indicated  a  limitation,  a  reason  why  he 
could  never  develop  from  the  politician  into  the 
statesman,  why,  for  example,  she  knew  that  he  was 
not  the  kind  of  man  to  become  a  cabinet  officer 
or  ambassador.  She  would  be  merely  the  wife  of 
a  mayor,  or  at  the  most,  of  a  governor  or  repre- 
sentative. And  she  knew  she  would  never  respect 
his  opinions,  that  he  was  one  who  might  champion 
crude  and  undigested  theories,  theories  which  men 
trained  as  her  father  and  Leigh  and  Cardington  had 
been  trained  would  weigh  in  the  balance  and  find 
wanting.  How  rashly  she  had  condemned  this  train- 
ing, how  effectually  her  experiment  had  cured  her 
of  radicalism,  she  herself  now  saw  clearly.  The 
problem  of  liberty  within  conventionality  was  still 
unsolved,  and  she  had  beaten  her  wings  against  the 
bars  in  vain. 

On  the  other  hand,  just  as  she  had  once  endowed 
Emmet  with  possibilities  he  never  possessed,  so  now, 
in  her  disillusion,  she  lost  sight  of  those  primitive 
virtues  that  would  always  make  him  a  force  for  good 
in  whatever  level  he  was  destined  to  reach.  Unjust 
to  him  in  the  beginning,  she  was  unjust  to  him  still. 
-+  365  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Felicity  Wycliffe  was  a  mystery  to  herself  no  less 
than  to  others.  The  normal  functions  of  her  sex  had 
dropped  so  far  below  her  ken,  in  the  course  of  her 
complicated  development,  as  to  seem  negligible.  Be- 
ginning with  this  negation,  she  had  passed  rapidly 
on  to  an  attitude  of  universal  scepticism,  to  which 
religion  was  merely  a  matter  of  taste,  and  prayer  was 
a  psychological  phenomenon.  She  was  not  one  to 
lend  herself  to  the  constructive  dreams  of  men,  or 
to  attach  herself  to  their  theories.  Her  weariness  of 
her  father's  academic  plans  presaged  her  disillusion 
in  regard  to  Emmet's  career,  even  if  he  had  been 
what  she  first  imagined  him.  Her  colossal  egotism 
demanded  everything  from  a  man,  and  was  prepared 
to  give  nothing  in  return,  except  the  precarious  pos- 
session of  herself.  Yet  what  man,  fascinated  by  the 
mysterious  unrest  and  nocturnal  splendour  of  her 
eyes,  would  not  gladly  pay  for  that  possession  what- 
ever price  she  might  demand  ? 

Presently,  when  their  silence  had  again  become 
awkward,  she  began  to  speak  of  impersonal  things ; 
of  the  strange  transformation  of  the  night,  lately  so 
oppressive  and  obscure,  now  so  dazzlingly  serene ;  of 
the  carrying  power  of  sound  in  the  stillness  about — 
a  dog's  barking,  the  distant  notes  of  the  bell  in  the 
tower  of  the  First  Church  striking  the  hour  of  eleven. 
As  they  passed  the  Hall,  she  saw  that  the  windows 
of  Leigh's  room  were  again  dark,  and  imagined  that 
he  had  taken  advantage  of  the  clearing  atmosphere 
-+  366  h- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

to  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  tower  and  resume  his 
observations.  Emmet,  following  the  direction  of  her 
eyes  upward,  divined  her  thought. 

"  The  professor  is  probably  looking  at  the  moon 
through  his  telescope,"  he  remarked. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  in  a  tone  as  casual  as  his 
own,  "  he  would  doubtless  not  lose  this  opportunity 
of  examining  the  cracks  that  have  appeared  recently 
on  its  surface,  if  he  can  see  them  with  that  lens, 
which  is  n't  likely.  They  are  said  to  be  hundreds, 
or  even  thousands,  of  miles  long,  and  only  a  few 
yards  in  width." 

Her  knowledge  of  such  a  recent  astronomical 
discovery  confirmed  his  suspicion  that  she  and 
Leigh  saw  much  of  each  other.  Knowing  the  man's 
infatuation  with  her  by  his  own  confession,  he  now 
became  convinced  that  she  returned  it ;  that  she  had 
used  his  fault  in  regard  to  Lena  Harpster  to  justify 
its  counterpart  in  herself.  Correct  in  his  main  sur- 
mise, he  was  nevertheless  mistaken  concerning  the 
source  of  her  information,  a  short  press  despatch 
from  the  Lick  Observatory  which  he  had  overlooked 
in  the  morning  paper. 

He  was  in  no  mood  to  renew  the  struggle  with 
her  on  the  basis  of  these  suspicions,  but  laid  them 
away  in  his  heart  for  future  consideration.  About 
to  reply  indifferently,  his  words  were  checked  by  a 
sudden  fit  of  coughing.  The  long  exposure  in  the 
penetrating  fog  and  the  subsequent  increase  in  the 
-+  367  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

cold  were  producing  their  effect,  and  as  they  de- 
scended the  hill,  his  cough  became  more  frequent 
and  severe. 

She  was  concerned  for  him,  much  as  she  would 
have  been  concerned  for  any  one  under  similar 
circumstances.  Some  hereditary  instinct,  a  tradition 
of  professional  humanity,  moved  her  to  expressions 
of  sympathy  and  advice;  and  when  they  arrived 
before  her  house,  she  insisted  that  he  come  in  and 
get  something  warm  to  drink  before  exposing  him- 
self further  to  the  cold  night  air.  He  followed  her 
obediently  through  the  dimly  lighted  hall  into  the 
dining-room,  wondering  at  her  apparent  indiffer- 
ence to  the  possibility  of  meeting  either  Lena  or 
the  bishop. 

The  indifference  was  real.  Wearied  of  her  own 
efforts  to  disentangle  herself  from  the  meshes  of  her 
plight,  she  was  ready  to  challenge  chance.  Had  her 
father  been  sitting  up  for  her,  she  would  have  led 
her  husband  into  his  presence,  prepared  to  take 
the  consequences.  But  as  chance  decided  otherwise, 
she  accepted  the  respite,  not  without  relief. 

She  heated  water  over  a  small  alcohol  lamp,  which 
she  placed  on  the  table,  and  called  his  attention  to 
the  reflection  of  the  green  flame  in  the  polished 
mahogany  surface.  There  was  that  in  her  manner 
and  conversation  which  deprived  her  act  of  the  tone 
of  personal  service.  She  watched  him  sip  his  whiskey 
with  a  judicial  expression,  overruling  the  protest  his 
-+  368  +- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

principles  suggested.  She  poured  for  herself  a  glass 
of  wine  and  sat  opposite  him,  the  tall  wax  candles 
between  them,  and  asked  him  for  the  first  time 
how  he  found  his  duties  as  mayor.  The  question 
seemed  to  occur  to  her  as  one  which  ordinary  cour- 
tesy should  have  prompted  her  to  ask  before. 

Emmet  felt  her  aloofness,  and  met  it  with  un- 
expected dignity.  In  his  answer  he  spoke  of  Bat 
Quayle,  and  of  a  plan  forming  against  him  among 
his  enemies  in  the  board  of  aldermen  to  lay  all  his 
appointments  on  the  table  indefinitely,  and  thus  to 
make  his  administration  a  failure.  But  he  did  not 
assume,  as  he  would  once  have  done,  that  she  was 
vitally  interested,  and  his  remarks  were  fragmentary. 

Felicity  noticed  his  sombre  mood  and  attributed 
it  partly  to  his  physical  condition,  little  dreaming 
how  bitterly  he  resented,  not  her  kindness,  but  the 
manner  of  it.  It  was  the  old  grievance  over  again. 
Like  the  bishop,  like  her  whole  class,  she  was  un- 
consciously patronising,  he  reflected,  even  when  she 
meant  to  be  charitable.  For  the  time,  at  least,  he 
asked  nothing  from  her,  and  this  indifference  gave 
him  more  of  a  tone  of  the  world,  more  the  air  of  a 
gentleman,  than  she  had  ever  seen  in  him  before. 
For  once  the  tables  were  turned,  and  it  was  he  who 
appeared  enigmatical.  If  he  were  any  longer  con- 
scious of  his  conductor's  uniform,  it  was  a  proud  con- 
sciousness, and  he  seemed  to  wear  it  like  the  insignia 
of  a  soldier.  When  he  left,  it  was  without  further 
-+  369  n- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

appeals  or  personalities,  but  with  brief  thanks  for 
her  kindness  and  good  wishes. 

She  stood  and  watched  him  going  down  the  walk 
in  the  moonlight,  the  black  shadows  of  the  bare 
branches  falling  one  after  another  across  his 
shoulders,  and  suddenly  the  thought  that  this  was 
her  husband  who  was  leaving  her  thus  came  over  her 
with  a  wave  of  irresistible  emotion.  Her  throat  ached 
with  a  piercing  realisation  of  the  tragedy  of  it,  and 
without  stopping  to  think,  she  ran  down  the  steps 
and  pursued  him,  panting  and  almost  weeping.  He 
turned  at  the  sound  of  her  hurrying  steps,  puzzled 
by  the  pursuit  and  on  his  guard  against  her  influ- 
ence. He  was  suspicious  of  her  intentions  now,  and 
waited  for  her  to  explain  the  meaning  of  this  mer- 
curial change. 

"  Tom,"  she  said  in  a  choking  voice,  laying  a  de- 
taining hand  upon  his  sleeve.  But  she  was  possessed 
by  an  emotion,  rather  than  by  a  thought  that  could 
be  expressed  in  words,  and  so  she  stood  thus  awhile 
in  silence.  His  grim  immobility  and  manly  self -con- 
tainment brought  back  some  flavour  of  that  early 
romance,  when  he,  unaware  as  yet  of  her  fancy,  paid 
her  slight  heed,  and  for  that  very  reason  appealed  to 
her  imagination. 

The  change  in  her  mood  seemed  to  flow  into  him 
like  a  solvent  that  broke  up  his  resentment  and  sus- 
picion. That  realisation  of  their  relationship  which 
had  sent  her  after  him  was  conveyed  in  the  thrilling 
-+  370  +- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

note  of  her  voice  when  she  uttered  his  name,  and 
though  at  first  he  had  refused  to  understand  it  thus, 
her  lingering  touch  became  its  full  interpreter.  They 
searched  each  other's  eyes  mutely,  and  he  knew  be- 
fore he  began  to  speak  that  she  was  his. 

"  Felicity,"  he  said,  his  eyes  gathering  an  intense, 
exultant  light,  "  you  've  come  after  me  of  your 
own  accord,  and  you  Ve  got  to  abide  by  it.  You  've 
played  fast  and  loose  with  me  long  enough.  Don't 
go  back  into  the  house  —  come  with  me  now — you're 
my  wife  —  why  shouldn't  you  come  with  me? 
Whose  business  is  it  but  our  own  ?  I  say  you  must ! " 

With  an  effort  she  withdrew  her  eyes  from  his 
face  and  looked  back  at  the  open  door  of  her  father's 
house,  imprinting  every  detail  upon  her  memory : 
the  dull  red  carpet,  the  antique  chairs,  the  stairway 
hung  with  old  engravings,  climbing  upward  to  the 
room  which  she  was  never  again  to  enter  as  before. 
The  temptation  assailed  her  to  cut  once  and  for  all 
the  Gordian  knot,  and  obeying  its  impulse,  she 
began  to  walk  down  the  flagging  beside  him. 

At  the  street  she  paused  once  more  and  pressed 
her  hands  piteously  against  her  heart,  trying  to 
think.  This  was  the  spot  where  Leigh  had  kissed 
her,  and  his  ghost  seemed  to  confront  her  there  in 
the  cold  moonlight,  looking  at  her  with  sad,  re- 
proachful eyes,  eyes  full  of  a  deep,  ethereal  passion 
that  burned  this  other  passion  to  ashes.  This,  then, 
was  the  explanation  of  her  vacillation.  If  his  mere 
-*  371  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

memory  could  stay  her  thus,  while  she  vibrated  to 
the  influence  of  the  man  that  was  present,  she  must 
love  him  indeed.  She  looked  up  and  saw  Emmet's 
face  distinctly,  already  hardening  with  new  suspicion, 
without  a  trace  of  tenderness,  marked  only  by  the 
ravages  of  disappointment.  By  contrast  she  remem- 
bered that  other  face.  She  felt  again  Leigh's  kisses 
and  heard  his  murmured  words  of  love. 

"No,  Tom,"  she  said,  shrinking  back.  "I  will 
not  go  with  you  —  I  am  not  your  wife." 

Her  tone  was  final,  but  his  passion,  newly  awak- 
ened, was  terrible  in  its  imperious  demands.  He 
could  scarcely  carry  her  off  by  force,  and  yet  for  one 
moment  such  seemed  to  be  his  intention.  He  took 
a  step  toward  her,  his  hand  raised  as  if  to  strike 
her  down,  then  stopped. 

"  We  '11  see  about  that,"  he  retorted,  with  a  strange, 
short  laugh.  He  would  have  said  more  and  disclosed 
his  further  intention  by  a  final  threat,  but  another 
fit  of  coughing  caught  at  his  throat,  and  before  he 
could  find  his  voice  again  she  was  well  on  her  way 
toward  the  house,  fleeing  between  the  trees  like  a 
frightened  bird.  He  stood  still  until  the  door  closed 
behind  her. 

"  She  must  be  a  devil,"  he  said  aloud.  "  She  stirs 
up  the  devil  in  me.    She  makes  me  bad." 

Could  any  one  have  seen  the  malign  record  which 
his  experience  with  her  had  traced  upon  his  face, 
he  would  have  been  forced  to  admit  the  justice  of 
-+  372  1- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

this  accusation.  He  walked  slowly  away,  striving  to 
reckon  with  his  tempestuous  emotions,  but  he  could 
not  pass  beyond  the  limit  of  the  grounds. 

"  I  was  going  away  quietly  enough/'  he  muttered, 
"  when  she  came  chasing  after  me.  Why  did  n't  she 
let  me  go,  or  else  come  with  me  ?  " 

He  stopped  short,  as  a  sudden  thought  flashed 
upon  him.  Then  he  looked  up  at  the  windows  of 
Lena's  room.  They  were  dark;  but  the  windows  of 
Felicity's  room,  immediately  below,  now  shone  with 
a  saffron  glow  behind  their  curtains.  He  regarded 
them  only  to  reflect  how  he  hated  the  woman  they 
concealed  from  his  view,  and  then  wondered  whether 
Lena  were  asleep.  He  took  out  his  watch  and  held 
it  up  to  the  moon.  As  he  did  so,  he  saw  that  the 
hands  pointed  at  midnight,  and  simultaneously 
the  bell  from  the  First  Church  began  to  ring  the 
hour. 

If  Lena  were  still  awake,  she  might  possibly  be 
lingering  in  the  kitchen,  perhaps  with  some  new 
lover.  She  had  a  right  to  do  so,  but  the  very  thought 
filled  him  with  a  fury  of  jealousy.  It  would  be  an 
easy  matter,  he  reflected,  to  tiptoe  down  the  drive- 
way behind  the  trees,  to  gain  the  shadow  of  the 
house,  and  to  peep  into  one  of  the  kitchen  win- 
dows. Of  course  they  were  dark,  but  he  wished 
to  be  assured  of  it.  Let  him  once  discover  that  the 
house  was  closed  for  the  night,  and  he  would  be 
content. 

-*  373  -*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

As  he  began  to  put  his  plan  into  execution,  glid- 
ing stealthily  from  tree  to  tree  and  pausing  to  look 
and  listen  from  the  shelter  of  each  shadow,  he  was 
acutely  aware  of  the  fact  that  it  was  the  mayor  of 
Warwick  who  was  doing  this  thing.  The  realisation 
could  not  stay  his  progress  or  change  his  purpose. 
After  all,  she  would  probably  not  be  there ;  and  if 
the  bishop's  coachman  or  some  servant  should  come 
out  and  find  him,  his  explanation  was  ready.  The 
driveway  passed  by  the  bishop's  stable  and  on 
through  the  square  to  the  street  beyond.  He  would 
say  that  he  was  making  a  short  cut,  and  the  expla- 
nation would  be  plausible.  From  time  to  time  he 
stifled  a  cough  with  difficulty,  and  it  was  this  diffi- 
culty alone  that  almost  persuaded  him  to  turn  back. 

It  was  by  no  strange  coincidence  or  accident  that 
Lena  remained  reading  by  the  lamp  in  the  large,  de- 
serted kitchen.  She  might  have  been  seen  there,  as 
Emmet  saw  her  now,  almost  every  evening  after  the 
others  had  gone  to  bed,  poring  over  some  paper- 
covered  novel  that  depicted  a  life  of  romance  quite 
different  from  the  dull  monotony  of  her  own  days. 
But  though  she  herself  was  wide  awake  with  the 
interest  of  the  story,  her  good  angel  had  gone  to 
sleep,  and  left  her  there,  unwarned,  to  face  her  peril 
alone. 

Emmet  ventured  to  thrust  his  head  for  a  moment 
into  the  bar  of  light  that  cut  the  deep  shadow  of 
the  house,  and  saw  that  his  most  extravagant  hopes 
-+  374  -»- 


TWO    SISTER    VESSELS 

were  fulfilled.  He  saw  also  that  she  was  prettily 
dressed,  with  a  red  velvet  ribbon  about  her  throat, 
her  hair  showing  a  careful  and  coquettish  arrange- 
ment. He  was  convinced  that  she  had  dressed  her- 
self thus  for  a  lover,  and  he  meant  to  call  her  to 
account. 

Little  by  little  he  crept  closer,  until  he  stood  be- 
side the  window,  his  back  against  the  wall.  He  had 
only  to  turn  and  lean  forward  and  look  her  in  the 
face.  His  eyes  searched  the  wide  stretches  of  the 
lawn  in  vain  for  a  sign  of  life.  The  stable  was  dark, 
the  house  was  silent.  Only  he  and  Lena  were  awake. 
No  thought  of  pity  for  her  softened  his  heart  at 
that  moment.  He  only  chafed  inwardly  at  a  memory 
of  his  stupid  and  mistaken  loyalty  to  Felicity. 

Lena  Harpster  was  one  of  those  timid  natures  that 
are  paralysed  by  sudden  surprise  or  fear.  Had  it  not 
been  so,  the  apparition  of  his  face  against  the  pane, 
his  intense  and  hungry  gaze,  would  have  caused  her 
to  wake  the  house  with  a  scream.  But  she  sat  staring 
at  him  with  her  wide  grey  eyes,  like  one  turned  to 
stone,  until  she  saw  that  her  first  impression  of  a 
burglar  was  false,  and  then  that  her  lover  was  beck- 
oning her  to  come. 

She  had  never  resisted  his  will,  and  she  did  not 
do  so  now.  When  she  had  comprehended  who  it 
was,  and  his  meaning,  she  glanced  behind  her  with 
instinctive  caution  ;  she  rose  from  her  chair  and 
tiptoed  to  the  farther  door,  where  she  looked  and 
-+  375  i- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

listened  until  satisfied.    Then  she  returned,  placed 
her  hands  on  the  table,  and  leaned  over  the  lamp. 

Emmet  saw  the  light  of  the  flame  illumine  the 
pink  curve  of  her  lips  as  she  formed  them  for  a 
breath.  He  saw  the  upward  shadow  of  her  features 
against  the  golden  mist  of  her  hair,  and  then  the 
vision  was  swallowed  up  in  darkness.  A  moment 
later  the  outside  door  was  softly  opened,  and  as 
softly  closed. 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 


CHAPTER  XIX 


FATHER  AND    DAUGHTER 

VV  HEN  the  bishop  and  his  daughter  met  at  the 
breakfast-table  the  next  morning,  the  air  was  full  of 
unpleasant  possibilities.  She  came  in  by  way  of  the 
kitchen  with  the  news  that  Lena  had  gone  home  on 
a  plea  of  illness,  and  though  he  was  concerned  for 
the  girl,  the  necessity  of  breaking  in  a  new  maid  to 
his  ways  added  to  his  evident  irritation  of  mind. 

There  was  none  of  the  bright-eyed  vitality  and 
serene  spiritual  tone  that  follows  nights  free  from 
care.  Felicity  observed  that  her  father  omitted  his 
customary  inquiries  in  regard  to  her  rest,  that  the 
morning  paper,  the  usual  basis  of  comment  at  break- 
fast, lay  unopened  beside  his  plate,  and  guessed  cor- 
rectly that  the  explanation  she  must  make  could 
no  longer  be  postponed.  His  bewilderment  and  sus- 
picions had  reached  a  point  that  would  drive  him 
to  take  the  initiative,  and  he  was  only  waiting  for 
a  favourable  opening. 

The  crafty  expression  of  his  eyes  filled  her  with 
irritation  and  resentment.  How  well  she  knew  the 
trend  of  his  thoughts !  Others  might  find  him  in- 
scrutable, but  she  knew  him  through  and  through. 
-»-  377  -•- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

In  their  long  and  subtle  struggle  concerning  the 
disposition  of  her  property,  in  the  question  whether 
she  would  or  would  not  help  him  to  build  up  the 
college,  she  had  always  been  sustained  by  a  peculiar 
loyalty  to  her  mother,  who  had  passed  her  fortune 
on  to  her  daughter  unimpaired.  This  was  a  practical 
declaration  of  her  own  will  in  the  matter,  and  Feli- 
city accepted  it  as  she  might  have  accepted  a  sacred 
trust.  She  barely  remembered  her  mother  as  a  shad- 
owy and  benign  being  floating  through  the  great 
rooms  of  the  house.  During  her  childhood,  a  certain 
angel  in  one  of  the  windows  of  St.  George's  Church 
had  somehow  been  confused  in  her  mind  with  that 
figure,  and  had  inspired  her  with  vague  awe.  These 
dim  memories  and  childish  fancies  had  crystallised 
in  later  years  into  an  appreciation  of  the  common 
interests  that  would  doubtless  have  been  theirs,  had 
her  mother  lived. 

No  hint  of  this  hidden  psychological  drama  had 
ever  reached  the  bishop's  ken.  His  daughter's  atti- 
tude seemed  her  mother's  obstinacy  and  worldliness 
reincarnated,  and  he  was  distressed  also  by  more 
dangerous  elements,  by  inexplicable  sympathies, 
antipathies,  and  rebellions,  until  the  whole  fabric 
of  his  careful  plans  seemed  destined  to  fall  in  ruins. 

As  the  sunlight  came  stealing  in  across  the  table, 
striking  prismatic  colours  from  the  glassware,  he 
shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand  and  sharply  ordered 
the  maid  to  draw  the  curtain. 
■h.  378  4- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  this  morning, 
father  ?  "  Felicity  asked  severely.    "  Are  you  ill  ?  " 

The  corners  of  her  mobile  lips  were  curled  slightly 
upward,  with  just  a  suggestion  of  scorn.  Unhappi- 
ness  is  no  great  promoter  of  the  courtesies  of  life, 
and  if  she  was  conscious  of  wrong-doing,  she  was  far 
from  being  on  the  defensive. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  I  am  ill.  I  am  sick  at  heart." 

"  If  you  will  drink  coffee,  and  keep  on  smoking 
those  strong  cigars  "  — 

He  eyed  her  so  intently  over  the  rim  of  his  shaking 
cup  that  she  left  the  sentence  uncompleted.  In  spite 
of  her  tragic  mood,  his  glare  of  resentment  aroused 
within  her  an  inclination  to  laugh. 

"You  see  how  your  nerves  are  affected,"  she 
finished. 

It  was  not  the  first  time  this  subject  had  come 
up  between  them,  but  hitherto  he  had  denied  with 
urbane  mendacity  the  ill  results  of  his  favourite 
indulgences.    Now  his  control  was  gone. 

"  They  are  not  affected,"  he  retorted,  while  the 
rattling  of  the  cup  against  the  saucer  disproved  his 
declaration.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  could 
extricate  his  fingers  from  the  handle  without  break- 
ing the  delicate  ware.  "Or  if  they  are,"  he  went  on, 
"  you  misstate  the  cause,  deliberately,  as  I  believe." 

She  opened  her  eyes  incredulously,  and  pushing 
back  his  chair,  he  rose  petulantly  to  his  feet. 

"  Felicity,  I  am  disappointed  in  you  —  more  than 
-+  379  •*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

disappointed  —  wounded  —  cut  to  the  heart  —  scan- 
dalised !  " 

He  turned  away,  then,  coming  back,  he  seized  the 
morning  paper,  and  with  a  parting  glance  of  reproach 
went  into  his  study  and  closed  the  door.  His  words, 
his  manner  of  retreat,  were  a  challenge  to  follow 
which  she  meant  to  accept.  A  few  moments  later, 
she  flung  back  the  door  of  her  father's  study  and 
confronted  him,  intensely  angry,  and  strikingly 
beautiful  in  her  anger. 

"  Scandalised !  "  she  echoed,  as  if  no  time  had 
elapsed  since  he  uttered  the  word.  "  What  do  you 
mean  by  that  ?  " 

The  apparition  was  not  unexpected,  but  the 
bishop,  glancing  over  the  top  of  his  paper,  man- 
aged to  convey  his  surprise  with  the  subtlety  of 
which  he  was  master.  Chagrined  by  his  conduct  at 
the  table,  he  had  fortified  himself  in  the  interim 
against  a  renewal  of  the  struggle. 

"  I  used  the  word  advisedly,"  he  replied  with  dig- 
nity. "  You  might  come  in  and  close  the  door.  It 
is  just  as  well,  perhaps,  not  to  take  the  servants  into 
our  confidence." 

She  accepted  the  suggestion  and  sat  confronting 
him  expectantly,  her  anger  ebbing  away  impercep- 
tibly in  the  pause  until  only  the  underlying  dread 
remained. 

"  Who  was  the  man  that  came  in  with  you  last 
night  ? "  he  asked  with  authority.  "  You  went  out 
-i-  380  •»- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

about  half-past  nine  o'clock  to  Mrs.  Parr's,  as  I  sup- 
posed, and  returned  at  midnight,  not  alone.  I  might 
have  thought  that  Mr.  Parr  had  seen  you  home,  but 
I  looked  from  my  window,  and  though  I  could  n't 
hear  what  you  said  —  but  never  mind  that.  You  will 
do  me  the  justice  to  admit  that  I  have  never  pried 
into  your  affairs  or  actions.  Until  recently  such  a 
question  as  I  have  now  thought  it  my  duty  to  ask 
would  never  have  occurred  to  me." 

"  It  was  Mayor  Emmet,"  she  answered  in  a  thin 
voice.  She  was  panic-stricken,  and  her  heart  beat  to 
suffocation. 

"  Emmet !  "  he  echoed. 

"  Who  did  you  think  it  was  ?  "  she  asked,  with  a 
wan  smile. 

"  Never  mind  —  never  mind,"  he  returned  im- 
patiently. "  Ah,  I  begin  to  see  more  clearly.  What 
was  it  you  said  he  wanted  with  you  here  the  other 
morning  ?  Some  trivial  thing  —  I  can't  remember. 
Now  I  want  to  know  at  once  —  I  have  a  right  to 
know  —  whether  there  is  anything  between  you  and 
that  man.   It  is  n't  possible  —  I  am  ashamed  to  ask 

—  but  your  face  betrays  you.   You  are  n't —  Felicity 

—  you  can't  imagine  yourself  in  love  with  such  a 
fellow?" 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  if  I  could,"  she  an- 
swered desperately,  "  but  I  can't.    Father,  you  must 
control  yourself.    I  used  to  think  myself   in  love 
with  him,  and  —  and  —  and  I  was  very  foolish  "  — 
-+  381  +■ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"How  foolish?  "  His  face  had  grown  white,  and 
he  steadied  his  hands  on  the  arms  of  his  chair. 
"  Don't  torture  me,  Felicity.  Tell  me  the  worst  at 
once." 

"  I  married  him." 

At  the  words  his  paleness  became  ashen,  and  the 
rigidity  of  his  features  was  so  ghastly  that,  forget- 
ting everything  else  in  her  alarm,  she  ran  to  his 
assistance.    He  waved  her  away  angrily. 

"No  —  I  am  not  going  to  faint  —  and  I  don't 
want  anything  to  drink." 

She  resumed  her  chair  obediently,  and  waited  for 
him  to  ask  more  questions.  Apparently  he  was  un- 
willing or  unable  to  do  so,  and  the  silence  seemed 
interminable,  though  in  reality  it  lasted  but  a  few 
minutes.  During  that  short  time  the  bishop's 
thoughts  ranged  with  characteristic  rapidity  over 
every  aspect  of  the  situation.  Emmet  as  a  son-in- 
law  !  First  of  all,  the  fact  that  he  was  the  mayor  of 
Warwick,  a  fact  which  the  bishop  had  hitherto  be- 
littled, now  presented  itself  as  a  mitigating  circum- 
stance. Then  the  thought  that  he  was  a  Catholic 
followed  immediately,  to  suggest  complications  and 
humiliations  which  the  bishop's  large  experience 
enabled  him  to  see  with  fatal  distinctness.  What 
was  the  man's  paltry  office  compared  with  this  stu- 
pendous fact  ?  Nothing  —  a  mere  accident  —  a  pass- 
ing honour  that  would  probably  be  plucked  from 
him  two  years  hence,  leaving  him  —  what?  Tom 
-H-  382  •*- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

Emmet,  ex-professional  baseball  player  and  street- 
car conductor,  out  of  a  job,  no  longer  mayor,  but 
always  a  Catholic,  married  to  the  richest  woman  in 
Warwick,  and  that  woman  his  daughter,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Bishop  Wycliffe  ! 

It  was  inevitable  that  he  should  look  at  the  situ- 
ation from  the  point  of  view  of  the  bishop  rather 
than  from  that  of  the  father  simply.  Had  she  been  a 
son  who  had  "  gone  over  to  Rome  "  after  taking  An- 
glican orders,  the  bishop's  professional  humiliation 
would  not  have  been  as  great  as  that  which  now 
stared  him  in  the  face.  It  would  have  been  a  keen 
disappointment  indeed,  but  lightened  by  the  prospect 
of  his  son's  preferment  in  an  ancient  communion. 
There  would  still  have  been  the  possibility  of  a  career 
for  the  boy,  a  career  which  his  father  could  watch, 
or  at  least  anticipate,  with  emotions  of  pride ;  for 
the  bishop  was  too  purely  an  ecclesiastic  to  under- 
estimate professional  success  in  the  Church  of  Rome. 
The  career  of  a  Cardinal  Newman,  for  example,  was 
one  that  challenged  his  respect,  however  much  he 
regretted  the  loss  of  such  talents  to  the  Anglican 
faith,  however  forcibly  he  might  characterise  the 
convert's  action  as  apostasy. 

But  how  different  the  actual  case,  how  infinitely 
worse !  Felicity's  fortune  was  lost  indeed  to  the 
great  cause  for  which  he  had  laboured  a  lifetime. 
Could  he  not  imagine  the  delicately  malicious  tri- 
umph of  the  Catholic  bishop,  by  whose  side  he  had 
-h  383  «- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

so  recently  sat  on  equal  terms  ?  Did  he  not  know 
how  the  man  would  begin  to  scheme  for  the  fortune 
of  Emmet's  wife  from  the  very  day  the  marriage 
was  published,  how  he  would  strive  to  reach  Felicity 
through  her  husband,  flattering,  threatening,  moving 
heaven  and  earth  to  get  the  money  for  his  parochial 
schools,  his  nunneries,  his  cathedral  ?  Only  one  as 
intensely  partisan  as  the  bishop,  and  with  his  reasons 
for  partisanship,  could  divine  his  sensations  as  he 
viewed  the  picture  thus  presented  to  his  mind  —  the 
troops  of  Irish  or  Italian  children  screaming  in  their 
dusty  playground,  watched  by  the  monkish  forms  of 
their  teachers.  And  the  other  possibility  had  been 
St.  George's  Hall,  the  miniature  Oxford  of  America  ! 

But  even  if  the  money  should  not  go  in  such  a 
direction  through  the  hands  of  Felicity,  —  and  the 
bishop  realised  that  a  husband  would  not  be  likely 
to  succeed  where  a  father  had  failed,  —  it  would  ul- 
timately reach  the  hands  of  her  children.  Baffled  by 
the  parents,  the  authorities  of  the  Catholic  Church 
would  transfer  their  efforts  to  the  children  from 
their  very  cradles,  and  would  bring  the  game  to 
earth  at  last. 

The  thought  of  children  reminded  the  bishop 
how  far  he  had  gone  on  the  facts  he  knew  thus 
far.  What  were  they  ?  That  Felicity  had  married 
Emmet,  that  she  did  not  love  him,  that  she  already 
repented  the  deed !  It  was  characteristic  of  his  mental 
processes  that  the  consideration  of  love  had  been 
-H-  384  h-    * 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

overlooked  in  his  first  agonised  speculations,  but 
now  he  clutched  at  it  as  a  drowning  man  clutches  at 
a  straw. 

It  was  a  wonderfully  interesting  face  that  he 
turned  upon  her,  transformed  by  his  complicated 
emotions  —  his  mechanical  smile  of  suffering,  humil- 
iation, scorn,  disgust ;  the  sudden  leaping  into  his 
eyes  of  a  desperate  hope.  The  master  spirit  within 
him  was  already  awaking  from  the  stunning  blow 
she  had  dealt.  Every  faculty  of  his  acute  mind  was 
once  more  alert,  hungering  for  more  facts,  all  the 
facts,  as  a  basis  of  future  action. 

He  spoke  not  one  word  of  the  terrible  anger  that 
racked  him  like  a  physical  nausea.  Even  in  this 
crisis,  his  temperament  and  training  held  fast. 
Reproaches  on  his  part  would  only  drive  her  more 
surely  to  the  place  from  which  she  seemed  desirous 
to  return.  His  flurry  at  the  table  had  shown  him 
how  she  could  match  anger  with  anger,  and  over- 
power him  by  sheer  vitality.  An  instinct  of  self- 
preservation,  and  an  astuteness  that  now  reached 
its  final  triumph,  pointed  the  wiser  way. 

"  Then  you  feel  that  you  have  made  a  mistake, 
Felicity  ?  "  he  questioned.  "  I  have  long  divined  a 
great  trouble  in  you,  though  of  course  this  is  far 
beyond  my  worst  fears.  If  I  am  to  be  of  any  help 
to  you,  I  must  know  all." 

For  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  felt  that  her 
father  might  be  her  friend,  her  refuge  in  trouble. 
-*  385  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Hungry  for  sympathy  and  understanding,  —  she 
knew  not  how  hungry  till  now,  —  she  told  her  story, 
beginning  impetuously  and  with  starting  tears.  The 
bishop  listened  attentively  to  the  facts,  dismissing 
from  his  mind  her  point  of  view,  her  reasons  for 
dissatisfaction  with  her  life.  Such  crude  immaturity 
he  had  encountered  a  thousand  times,  though  he 
had  never  suspected  it  in  her. 

The  only  facts  that  concerned  him  were :  that  the 
marriage  had  never  really  been  consummated  ;  that 
there  was  no  question  of  a  child  to  consider ;  that 
Felicity  was  anxious  to  escape  from  the  man  in  whose 
clutches  she  had  placed  herself  ;  and  that  there  were 
grounds  for  divorce.  Emmet  himself  might  be  in- 
duced —  purchased  —  to  bring  action  on  the  ground 
of  desertion.  To  be  sure,  such  a  cause  was  not  ac- 
knowledged by  the  Church  as  valid,  but  the  bishop 
was  prepared  to  lay  aside  his  prejudice  in  this  par- 
ticular case.  Not  for  a  moment  did  he  think  of 
holding  his  daughter  to  her  mistake,  as  soon  as  he 
knew  the  facts  in  the  case.  But  she  made  no  men- 
tion of  Leigh. 

As  the  dangers  with  which  he  had  at  first  seen 
himself  threatened  became  less  formidable,  and  the 
way  of  escape  suggested  itself,  his  wonder  at  her 
stupendous  selfishness  increased.  What  manner  of 
woman  had  he  reared  and  educated  with  such  care  ? 
In  spite  of  the  restraints  of  his  questions  and  com- 
ments, incredulous  scorn  was  written  in  his  expres- 
-+  386  •»- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

sion  and  in  the  gleam  of  his  eyes.  It  was  much  that 
she  had  not  been  physically  coarse,  but  her  psychic 
equation  was  beyond  his  solving. 

Felicity  could  not  fail  to  be  conscious  of  this  grow- 
ing antagonism,  and  the  warmth  of  emotion  with 
which  she  had  begun  her  explanation  cooled  with 
every  word.  Her  gratitude  vanished,  to  give  way  to 
implacable  resentment  at  his  attitude  of  virtuous 
superiority.  Her  judgment  of  him  was  no  less  bitter 
than  that  she  received.  Angry  reproaches  would 
have  stung  her  less  than  this  courteous  contempt. 

"  And  how  many  persons  are  in  this  secret  ?  "  he 
asked  finally. 

Mr.  Emmet  has  taken  Mr.  Leigh  into  his  confi- 
dence, I  believe,"  she  answered,  a  faint  colour  creep- 
ing into  her  face. 

"  Ah,  Leigh,"  he  returned,  thrown  off  his  guard 
by  surprise.  He  thought  he  saw  now  what  her  inti- 
macy with  the  young  professor  really  meant.  She 
was  pledging  him  to  secrecy,  and  the  young  man 
had  now  the  motive  of  revenge  to  turn  and  reveal 
what  he  knew. 

"  It  would  perhaps  be  better  to  keep  him  in  the 
college,  after  all,"  he  mused. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  father  ?  "  she  demanded. 
"  To  keep  him  in  the  college  ?  You  had  n't  asked 
him  to  go?" 

To  this  question  he  made  no  reply,  but  she  saw 
confusion  plainly  written  in  his  face. 
-»•  387  *- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"I  naturally  supposed  that  he  was  a  fortune 
hunter"  — 

She  rose  to  her  feet,  flaming  with  an  anger  that  ap- 
palled him.  "  You  asked  him  to  go,"  she  cried,  "  be- 
cause you  thought  I  might  marry  him,  and  not  give 
my  mother's  money  and  mine  to  the  college !  A  for- 
tune hunter !  It  does  n't  seem  to  me,  father,  that  you 
have  much  cause  to  talk  about  fortune  hunting !  " 

The  taunt  stung  him  to  the  quick,  and  his  face 
grew  scarlet  and  livid  by  turns.  Never  had  this 
question  come  to  an  open  issue  and  caused  an  ex- 
plosion like  the  present. 

"I  am  not  a  fortune  hunter,"  he  said  raspingly. 
"  If  you  are  so  dead  to  the  most  inspiring  of  God  's 
works,  yours  be  the  blame,  Felicity,  and  yours  the 
condemnation." 

"  I  have  no  idea  of  marrying  Mr.  Leigh,"  she  went 
on  passionately,  "  but  one  thing  I  can  tell  you  once 
for  all.  If  you  think  I  am  going  to  give  one  cent 
to  the  college,  you  are  utterly  mistaken !  Don't  I 
know  your  plans?  Haven't  I  seen  the  drift  of  your 
casual  remarks  about  the  glory  of  serving  God?  I 
know  you  would  have  me  give  every  cent  I  possess  to 
the  college  and  become  a  deaconess — repent  of  my 
sins  —  retire  from  the  world.  You  already  see  an 
opportunity  in  my  mistake  to  profit  by  my  repent- 
ance. Oh,  I  know  all  the  choice  phrases  by  heart ! 
You  never  loved  my  mother,  nor  me,  but  you  wanted 
the  money  for  your  St.  George's  Hall.  It  was  you 
-+  388  i- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

that  drove  me  into  this  marriage.  God  knows,  I 
admit  I  was  wrong,  but  I  made  the  mistake  in  a  fran- 
tic desire  for  fresh  air,  for  some  other  atmosphere 
than  the  stuffy  gloom  of  churches  and  seminaries 
and  colleges.  What  do  I  care  for  that  miserable  little 
college  on  the  hill,  full  of  your  good  little  boys  with 
their  churchly  conceits  and  bowings  and  deadness? 
I  want  life,  and  I  mean  to  have  it.  I  will  spend  my 
money  as  I  see  fit  —  for  travel  —  for  clothes  —  for 
luxury  —  for  anything  that  strikes  my  fancy  —  but 
never  —  never  —  never  —  for  that  college !  " 

A  wild  impulse  swept  over  her  to  seize  something 
and  break  it  in  fragments  on  the  floor,  but  seeing 
nothing  fragile  at  hand  in  that  book-lined  room,  she 
stood  still,  trembling  like  an  aspen  leaf.  The  bishop, 
little  realising  that  she  was  driven  to  this  extraor- 
dinary transport  by  his  treatment  of  Leigh,  looked 
at  her  in  stupefaction.  It  seemed  to  him  that  her 
mother  stood  before  him  once  more,  though  she  had 
never  acted  thus;  but  the  mental  attitude  was  the 
same.  The  mother  had  thwarted  his  plans  by  leaving 
her  money  to  the  daughter,  and  now  the  daughter 
would  spend  it  as  she  willed.  It  was  like  a  second 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  same  woman.  And  this 
was  the  flower  he  had  cherished  with  such  pride, 
now  scentless  of  spirituality  and  dead  at  the  roots ! 
He  rose  to  his  feet,  suddenly  an  old  man,  utterly 
bereft,  and  shook  a  trembling  finger  in  her  face. 

"  You  lack  nothing  of  filling  up  your  cup  of  wick- 
-«-  389  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

edness,"  he  quavered,  "  but  that  you  have  refrained 
from  making  a  physical  attack  upon  me.  Felicity, 
God  will  punish  you  !  " 

The  corners  of  her  beautiful  lips  curled  upward  in 
cruel  scorn,  and  she  swept  from  the  room,  slamming 
the  door  behind  her.  Presently  he  heard  the  door 
of  her  own  room  closed  with  equal  force,  not  once, 
but  twice,  as  if  she  had  opened  it  again,  and  again 
slammed  it  shut,  to  give  adequate  expression  to  her 
feelings.  Completely  bewildered,  he  wandered  into 
the  hall,  reached  mechanically  for  his  hat  and  coat, 
and  went  out  into  the  street. 

Instinctively  he  turned  his  steps  toward  St.  George's 
Hall,  as  if  from  its*  contemplation  he  could  derive 
comfort.  Something,  at  least,  had  been  done  toward 
realising  his  ideal,  though  far  less  than  he  had  hoped 
to  accomplish.  Many  a  graduate  had  gone  forth  from 
beneath  the  shadow  of  that  stately  tower  to  win  fame 
and  applause  in  the  great  world.  The  bishop  knew 
most  of  them,  and  was  known  and  loved  by  all.  There 
were  bishops  among  them,  and  clergymen,  and  judges, 
and  physicians,  and  some  who  had  freely  given  their 
promising  young  lives  in  the  service  of  their  country. 
He  counted  over  the  names,  as  a  miser  counts  his 
gold.  His  boys  !  It  was  such  as  these,  their  success- 
ors, whom  his  daughter  characterised  with  scorn, 
impatient  of  the  passing  fads  and  fancies  common 
to  their  age,  of  an  immaturity  which  she  herself  had 
exemplified  so  much  less  venially. 
-t-  390  -«- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

Musing  thus,  he  traversed  the  length  of  Birdseye 
Avenue,  saluting  those  who  passed  him  with  absent- 
minded  courtesy.  At  length  he  raised  his  eyes  and 
looked  up  the  hill  to  the  long,  low  roof  against  the 
cloudless  sky.  For  the  thousandth  time  his  eyes  kin- 
dled at  the  sight,  for  the  thousandth  time  he  expe- 
rienced the  artistic  satisfaction  of  the  connoisseur  in 
collegiate  architecture,  and  mentally  limned  the  re- 
mainder of  the  plan.  His  sensations  were  like  those 
of  a  skilled  musician  who  has  heard  the  first  move- 
ment of  a  masterly  sonata  and  is  left  to  imagine  the 
perfect  whole.  The  sun,  now  mounting  toward  the 
zenith,  was  shortening  the  shadows  of  the  tower  on 
the  slate  roof  that  shone  in  the  bright  atmosphere 
like  dull  silver.  Not  a  student  was  in  sight,  and  the 
place  seemed  to  share  the  drowsy  influence  of  the 
noontime. 

Motionless,  and  leaning  heavily  on  his  cane,  the 
bishop's  mood  grew  warm,  as  if  it  travelled  upward 
with  the  sun.  His  dream,  now  destined  to  remain  un- 
fulfilled, had  not  been  one  merely  of  stone  and  brick 
and  mortar.  His  spirit  was  akin  to  that  of  the  cathe- 
dral builders  of  the  Middle  Ages.  They  might  drive 
the  people  in  harness  to  accomplish  their  purpose,  but 
that  purpose  was  to  erect  a  splendid  temple  to  their 
God,  a  symbol  of  human  aspiration  toward  the  divine. 

The  bishop  reflected  with  pride  that  if  he  had 
measurably  failed,  he  had  yet  planned  greatly.  He 
had  taken  his  stand  firmly  on  the  ideal,  defying  the 
-►  391  -<-- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

utilitarian  spirit  of  his  time  and  country.  It  was  no- 
thing to  him  that  the  money  which  disappeared  in  the 
rearing  of  that  splendid  fragment  could  have  been 
spent  for  humbler  structures  which  practical  men 
would  have  called  more  useful.  Useful !  He  hated 
the  word.  As  if  a  beautiful  thing  employed  in  the 
service  of  God  were  not  useful  in  exact  proportion 
to  its  beauty  !  If  the  churchmen  of  America  had  not 
been  inspired  by  this  fair  and  brave  beginning  to 
complete  the  work,  the  fault  was  theirs.  He  had 
pointed  them  the  way. 

And  how  had  he  merited  his  wife's  indifference, 
his  daughter's  reproaches  ?  He  had  not  desired  the 
money  for  himself,  he  had  used  no  undue  influence, 
he  had  forged  no  will ;  he  had  merely  striven  to  make 
them  realise  their  stewardship,  to  inspire  them  with 
his  own  ideal.  In  this  effort  he  could  find  no  grounds 
for  self -accusation  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  effort  was  a 
merit  he  might  lay  with  humble  pride  before  his  God, 
when  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  shall  be  revealed. 

Presently  he  resumed  his  way,  until  he  stood  di- 
rectly opposite  the  towers,  at  the  foot  of  the  path 
which  crossed  the  intervening  meadows.  Here  the 
gateway  was  to  have  been  built,  similar  to  that  of 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  with  flanking  towers  and 
a  statue,  perhaps  of  himself,  standing  above  the 
portal.  At  the  thought  the  bishop  smiled  ironically, 
and  began  a  tentative  progress  up  the  hill. 

The  later  hours  of  the  night  had  been  cold  and 
-i.  392  i- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

» 

the  ground  was  still  fairly  firm,  even  under  the  soft- 
ening influence  of  the  noonday  sun.  As  he  went 
further,  the  students  began  to  come  from  their  reci- 
tations and  to  disperse  toward  their  various  rooms. 
One  figure,  however,  detached  itself  from  the  rest 
and  struck  out  across  the  upper  campus  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  bronze  statue  of  the  founder,  who  stood 
with  hand  outstretched  in  perennial  blessing  toward 
the  hall  which  one  of  his  successors  had  reared. 
That  successor  now  caught  sight  of  a  head  and 
shoulders  emerging  above  the  rim  of  the  plateau, 
until  a  man's  full  length  came  into  view  and  rapidly 
descended  the  slope.  Then  the  bishop  recognised 
Leigh.  His  greeting  to  the  young  man  was  affable, 
and  his  pause  an  invitation. 

"  You  are  adventurous  to  come  this  way,"  he 
remarked,  prodding  the  earth  with  his  cane.  "This 
crust  will  scarcely  sustain  the  weight  of  an  old 
Tithonus  like  myself,  let  alone  a  vigorous  young 
Ajax  like  you." 

Leigh  glanced  down  at  his  soiled  shoes,  and  smiled 
with  an  appreciation  of  the  ironies  of  life  not  unlikj 
that  which  the  other  had  felt  so  recently.  "  I  came 
this  way  for  sentimental  reasons,  I  imagine,"  he 
replied.  "This  is  a  good  point  from  which  to  look 
back  at  the  towers." 

" Then  you've  caught  the  disease  too? "  the  bishop 
asked.  "  But  one  can't  long  remain  an  immune  in 
St.  George's  Hall." 

-♦  393  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  I  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to  recover/'  Leigh 
returned,  "  when  I  shall  have  left." 

"Yes  —  yes/'  the  bishop  murmured.  "I  heard 
something  about  that.  There  was  an  unfortunate 
misunderstanding,  concerning  which  I  believe  I 
can  set  Dr.  Kenshaw  right.  It  will  give  me  great 
pleasure,  Mr.  Leigh,  if  you  will  not  think  of  leav- 
ing us." 

The  overture  was  practically  an  admission  of  his 
own  responsibility  in  the  matter,  but  the  astronomer 
was  only  impressed  by  the  fact  that  for  some  reason 
the  bishop  had  ceased  to  regard  him  with  disfavour. 
Could  it  be  that  he  had  discovered  Felicity's  secret 
at  last?  A  study  of  the  haggard  record  in  the  old 
man's  face  made  the  conjecture  almost  a  certainty. 
Leigh  felt  that  the  bishop  would  now  make  amends 
to  him  for  suspecting  him  falsely  in  connection  with 
his  daughter,  and  reflected  guiltily  that  the  suspi- 
cion was  not  as  false  as  the  bishop  supposed. 

"I  have  been  thinking  of  leaving  —  naturally," 
he  answered,  hesitating,  "  but  my  plans  are  not  yet 
matured." 

The  bishop  nodded  understandingly.  He  appre- 
ciated the  fact  that  the  other's  sensitiveness  and 
resentment  could  not  be  put  aside  at  once,  and  that 
his  own  change  of  front  could  not  draw  forth  imme- 
diate confidences.  The  subject  was  a  delicate  one 
to  both,  and  they  were  mutually  anxious  to  sep- 
arate. 

■h.  394  +- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

"I  hope  you  will  let  me  know,  then/'  he  said 
courteously,  "  whether  you  decide  that  your  best 
interests  call  you  elsewhere,  but  I  hope  not  —  I 
hope  not." 

He  turned  his  face  once  more  toward  the  Hall, 
his  sagacious  mind  already  grappling  with  another 
possibility.  If  Felicity  must  marry  after  getting  her 
divorce, — and  it  now  seemed  wiser  that  she  should, 
— let  her  marry  this  young  professor,  who  was,  after 
all,  of  her  own  class.  Her  fortune  would  not  be 
wholly  alienated  from  the  college  interests,  should 
Leigh  continue  in  his  professorship.  The  young 
man  might  be  made  president  after  Dr.  Benshaw's 
impending  retirement.  He  could  take  orders  to  con- 
form with  the  traditions  of  the  place ;  and  men  had 
taken  orders  for  smaller  rewards.  His  pride  in  the 
institution,  which  his  wife  must  then  share,  would 
influence  them  much  in  the  direction  of  giving. 

Leigh's  first  words  upon  coming  down  the  hill  had 
betrayed  his  growing  appreciation  of  the  Hall,  his 
gradual  conversion  to  the  ideal  of  the  church  college. 
Though  a  scientist,  he  had  taken  the  degree  of  bach- 
elor of  arts,  and  he  was  an  inheritor  of  church  tra- 
ditions. As  for  Felicity  —  the  bishop  recalled  the 
times  he  had  seen  her  with  Leigh,  and  especially  at 
the  lecture  at  Littleford's.  He  had  divined  their 
mutual  attraction  from  the  first,  though  he  credited 
them  both  with  more  conscience  in  the  matter  than 
they  had  shown. 

-+  395  +- 


THE    MAYOR    Otf    WARWICK 

Leigh  reached  the  street  and  turned  southward, 
following  the  course  that  Emmet  had  taken  with  his 
sleigh  when  he  picked  Lena  up  on  that  very  spot 
some  two  months  before.  It  wanted  yet  an  hour  of 
his  lunch  time,  and  he  had  come  forth  with  no  other 
thought  than  to  get  the  fresh  air  and  to  turn  over 
again  in  his  mind  the  plans  of  which  he  had  hinted 
to  the  bishop. 

After  his  interview  with  Dr.  Renshaw,  he  had  writ- 
ten to  the  authorities  of  the  Lick  Observatory  and 
asked  permission  to  join  one  of  the  three  expeditions 
that  were  soon  to  be  sent  out  to  observe  the  approach- 
ing eclipse  of  the  sun.  It  was  too  early  as  yet  for 
a  reply,  but  he  had  reason  to  believe  that  his  previ- 
ous connection  with  the  observatory  and  his  record 
there  would  assure  the  granting  of  his  request,  if  the 
number  were  not  entirely  completed.  Already  he 
imagined  himself  transported  to  Norway,  or  South 
America,  or  Egypt.  He  could  not  tell  which  expe- 
dition, if  any,  he  would  be  permitted  to  join,  but  of 
the  three,  the  last  named  was  most  to  his  mind. 

Felicity  had  become  interwoven  with  his  con- 
sciousness of  himself,  and  in  thinking  of  Egypt  he 
pictured  her  there  with  him,  a  vivid  creation  of  mem- 
ory and  imagination.  Some  association  of  ideas 
between  her  and  the  country  that  had  given  birth  to 
Cleopatra  must  have  influenced  him  in  his  choice, 
he  reflected  with  a  disconsolate  smile.  The  associa- 
tion did  Felicity  little  justice  in  one  way,  but  the 
-»•  396  ■»- 


FATHER    AND    DAUGHTER 

impossibility  of  imagining  her  at  home  on  the  cold 
heights  of  Norway  or  the  Andes  showed  her  kinship 
with  the  land  of  colour  and  nocturnal  mystery. 

Sometimes  he  felt  that  he  must  brush  aside  all 
opposition  of  persons  and  circumstance  and  beg  her 
to  go  with  him,  leaving  the  world  to  gape  and  won- 
der as  it  might.  It  was  only  a  fevered  dream,  but  it 
suggested  another  possibility  that  presently  became 
a  definite  resolve.  At  least  he  would  see  her  again, 
and  beg  her  not  to  go  blundering  back  into  the  arms 
of  the  man  she  did  not  love.  He  would  plead  with 
her  not  to  try  to  rectify  one  mistake  by  making 
another  more  fatal  still.  Did  he  not  owe  it  to  her 
and  to  himself  to  make  one  last  effort  for  their  hap- 
piness? Had  he  a  right  to  desert  her  in  her  trouble, 
to  yield  supinely  to  a  conventional  prejudice  ? 

He  was  in  the  glow  of  this  new  resolve  when  he 
climbed  the  hill  to  the  south  of  the  college  and 
turned  to  follow  the  road  along  the  ridge  which 
Felicity  and  Emmet  had  taken  that  misty  night. 
At  the  quarry  he  paused  for  a  few  moments  to  look 
down  absently  at  the  men  working  below,  and  then 
began  to  retrace  his  steps  toward  the  Hall.  His  turn- 
ing brought  the  tower  of  the  college  and  the  dis- 
tant city  before  his  eyes.  The  absence  of  foliage 
from  the  trees  exposed  to  view  innumerable  glinting 
roofs  that  were  hidden  in  summer  as  by  a  forest. 
He  picked  out  the  tower  of  St.  George's  Church 
and  the  various  steeples  with  which  he  had  become 
■h-  397  n- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

familiar.  Then  he  caught  sight  of  the  pale  wings 
of  the  figure  of  Victory  above  the  triumphal  column 
in  the  park,  poised  like  those  of  a  butterfly  about  to 
soar  into  the  still,  bright  air. 

Once  more  the  beauty  of  the  country  made  its 
great  appeal:  the  magnificent  valleys  to  east  and 
west  swelling  upward  to  ridges  of  hills  clothed  in 
ever  changing  lights  and  shadows ;  the  Hall  stand- 
ing sentinel  over  all ;  the  city  nestled  below,  a  city 
of  dreams. 


PUNISHMENT 


CHAPTER  XX 


a 


5? 


PUNISHMENT,  THOUGH  LAME  OF  FOOT     


JL  HE  bishop  sat  in  his  study,  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  Mayor  Emmet  in  a  frame  of  mind  that  boded  ill 
for  the  success  of  the  interview.  In  reply  to  his  let- 
ter suggesting  a  conference  on  a  subject  of  mutual 
interest,  the  mayor  had  named  the  third  morning 
as  the  one  that  would  find  him  most  free  from  his 
numerous  engagements.  The  coolness  of  this  reply 
was  exasperating  to  the  bishop,  and  he  thought  he 
divined  in  the  delay  a  deliberate  intention  to  keep 
him  on  the  rack  of  uncertainty.  Being  a  man  of 
ample  leisure,  he  had  found  plenty  of  time  to  form- 
ulate the  position  he  meant  to  take.  He  and  his 
daughter  had  threshed  out  the  subject,  and  now 
avoided  it  by  mutual  consent.  Their  relationship 
became  unnatural  and  constrained.  They  met  only 
at  meal-times,  and  not  always  then,  for  each  one 
sought  more  than  one  pretext  to  dine  elsewhere. 
More  words  on  the  subject  would  only  precipitate  a 
repetition  of  the  scene  that  still  rankled  in  the  mem- 
ory of  both,  and  the  discussion  was  therefore  closed 
until  Emmet  should  have  stated  his  own  position. 
While  the  situation  remained  thus  stationary,  the 
-+  399  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

appearance  of  the  world  without  had  been  so  com- 
pletely transformed  that  a  whole  season,  rather  than 
three  days,  seemed  to  have  elapsed.  Winter  had  re- 
turned in  a  storm  of  snow  that  threatened  to  assume 
the  proportions  of  the  historic  blizzard,  which  piled 
such  deep  drifts  about  St.  George's  Hall  that  the  stu- 
dents had  leaped  with  impunity  from  the  upper  win- 
dows. During  the  previous  night,  however,  the  sky 
had  cleared,  and  now  the  air  was  filled  with  those 
familiar  brumal  sounds,  the  scraping  of  shovels  and 
the  ringing  o£  sleighbells,  that  usually  make  such 
a  pleasant  appeal  to  those  within-doors ;  but  the 
bishop  was  merely  moved  to  impatient  longing  for 
the  spring. 

The  bright  sun  filled  the  study  with  a  garish  light 
reflected  from  the  snow  without,  and  the  bishop 
pulled  down  the  heavy  shades,  introducing  thereby 
an  effect  of  twilight  in  the  room.  At  the  same  time 
the  wood  fire  in  the  grate,  which  had  previously 
seemed  pale  and  thin,  took  on  a  ruddy  and  cheerful 
activity,  relieved  from  the  overpowering  competition 
of  the  sun. 

The  mayor  finally  arrived,  half  an  hour  behind 
the  time  he  had  appointed,  drawn  in  his  sleigh  by 
the  pacer  that  had  stood  by  him  so  gallantly  in  his 
race  with  Anthony  Cobbens.  He  fastened  the  mare 
to  the  post  with  careful  deliberation,  conscious  the 
while  that  he  might  be  under  inspection  from  behind 
the  drawn  curtains  of  Felicity's  room.  When  he  en- 
-+  400  +- 


PUNISHMENT 


tered  the  bishop's  study,  it  was  evident  at  once  that 
he  came  in  no  very  conciliatory  mood.  The  bold 
glance  of  his  eyes  was  a  trifle  more  bold  than  usual 
and  swept  the  room  rapidly,  as  if  he  anticipated  see- 
ing Felicity  there.  Something  of  disappointment  and 
resentment  seemed  to  show  itself  in  his  manner,  as 
he  took  the  chair  the  bishop  indicated ;  and  now  he 
waited,  with  the  instinct  of  the  politician,  for  his 
opponent  to  show  his  hand. 

The  bishop  had  always  hated  this  man,  and  never 
more  so  than  now.  In  addition  to  his  special  reason 
for  hostility,  Emmet's  type  was  one  peculiarly  dis- 
tasteful to  him.  Just  as  he  had  catalogued  Leigh 
as  a  Westerner,  and  had  assumed  certain  characteris- 
tics in  him,  so  he  had  put  Emmet,  from  the  first,  into 
the  class  of  loud-voiced,  big-limbed,  heavy-heeled 
centurions.  It. made  no  difference  that  the  mayor 
showed  marked  deviations  from  the  type ;  there  was 
just  enough  of  the  feminine  in  his  judge  to  keep 
him  true  to  his  prejudices,  and  never  were  they  so 
nearly  justified  as  now.  He  saw  that  he  must  make 
a  beginning,  and  did  so  with  his  usual  circumspec- 
tion. His  words  were  carefully  selected  to  avoid 
giving  offence,  but  the  gist  of  their  meaning  was 
that  he  waited  for  his  visitor  to  give  an  account  of 
himself. 

"  I  should  like  to  speak  in  the  presence  of  my 
wife,"  Emmet  announced  uncompromisingly. 

"My  daughter  will  not  be  present  at  this  inter- 
-*  401  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

view/'  the  bishop  declared,  with  marked  austerity, 
"  nor  at  any  other  interview  that  may  subsequently 
become  necessary,  though  I  hope  we  shall  come  to 
such  a  satisfactory  understanding  to-day  as  to  make 
further  conferences  superfluous.  This  arrangement 
is  with  her  entire  consent,  or  rather,  is  the  fulfilment 
of  her  expressed  wish.  I  must  protest  also  against 
your  designation  of  my  daughter  as  your  wife.  She 
is  not  such  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term.  She  has 
never  appeared  with  you  publicly  as  your  wife, 
but  by  her  desertion  of  you  at  the  very  altar  she 
emphatically  showed  that  she  realised  her  mistake 
at  once  and  repudiated  it." 

"Desertion  is  no  cause  for  divorce,  bishop," 
Emmet  returned,  with  an  ugly  gleam  in  his  eyes, 
"  either  in  your  Church  or  in  mine.  Your  daughter's 
treatment  of  me  has  been  such  that  the  only  amends 
she  can  make  is  to  acknowledge  our  relationship  and 
act  accordingly." 

"  Come,  come,  Mr.  Emmet,"  the  other  retorted, 
"  I  need  scarcely  remind  you  how  far  my  daughter 
has  already  atoned  for  her  mistake  by  helping  you 
to  realise  your  ambition,  by  suggesting  it,  in  fact, 
and  by  lending  you  books  for  your  instruction.  It 
seems  to  me  that  a  manly  man  would  acknowledge 
this  frankly,  that  he  would  not  strive  to  hold  the 
woman  to  the  letter  of  the  agreement  after  discov- 
ering that  the  spirit  was  no  longer  there  to  give  it 
life." 

-H-  402  •«- 


PUNISHMENT 


"I  could  have  won  without  her/'  the  mayor  de- 
clared hoarsely. 

The  bishop  smiled  with  exasperating,  ironical 
amusement.  "  We  will  waive  that  point,  then,  Mr. 
Emmet.  It  suggests  a  fruitless  discussion,  that  would 
merely  serve  to  distract  us  from  the  main  question. 
I  was  about  to  say,  when  you  interrupted  me,  that 
if  you  always  considered  your  marriage  as  binding 
as  you  now  feign  to  consider  it,  you  should  have 
come  to  me  and  announced  the  fact.  By  your 
acquiescence  in  my  daughter's  desertion,  you  tacitly 
admitted  that  you  released  her,  that  you  had 
nothing  to  announce.  If  you  did  not  consider  then 
that  the  marriage  was  binding,  you  cannot  begin  to 
do  so  at  this  late  hour." 

"  Allow  me  to  say  that  your  daughter  considered 
it  binding,"  Emmet  put  in  shrewdly.  "  She  did  not 
repudiate  her  mistake,  as  you  call  it,  by  leaving  me 
at  the  altar.  On  the  contrary,  she  intended  all  along 
to  acknowledge  our  marriage  as  soon  as  I  should  be 
elected  mayor." 

"  She  did  not,  perhaps,  realise  the  full  significance 
of  her  instinctive  action,"  the  bishop  answered. 
"  A  woman  is  a  mystery  to  herself  no  less  than  to 
others.  I  am  putting  the  case' to  you  as  man  to  man, 
hoping  to  kindle  a  spark  of  generous  understanding 
in  your  heart.  Could  any  woman  who  really  loved 
a  man  do  as  she  did  ?  I  tell  you,  and  you  know, 
that  it  was  the  folly  of  a  romantic  girl,  a  folly  that 
-+  403  h- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

does  not  deserve  the  penalty  you  would  inflict.  If 
my  daughter  did  not  actually,  in  so  many  words, 
repudiate  her  mistake  in  the  beginning,  she  did  so 
in  a  recent  interview  with  you,  and  she  does  so 
finally  now  by  me." 

"  And  she  did  me  a  great  wrong  !  "  Emmet  cried 
hotly.  "  If  you  are  a  man,  bishop,  you  must  know 
what  it  meant  to  be  tricked  and  disappointed  as  I 
was." 

The  bishop's  face  grew  livid,  and  he  shrank  within 
himself. 

"  You  offer  a  pitiful  excuse,  sir  ! "  he  retorted. 
"  It  depends  upon  what  kind  of  man  you  mean  — 
the  brute  man,  who  regards  women  merely  as  the 
instruments  of  his  passion,  or  the  chivalrous  man, 
who  knows  that  the  woman  is  the  weaker  vessel  and 
bears  himself  accordingly.  I  confess  to  you  that  I 
am  not  the  former  kind." 

His  eyes  assumed  a  keen,  inquisitorial  look  that 
required  all  of  Emmet's  false  fortitude  to  meet. 

"  Mr.  Emmet,  I  venture  to  say  that  I  give  you 
the  benefit  of  a  very  considerable  doubt  in  assum- 
ing that  you  have  not  given  my  daughter  statutory 
grounds  for  divorce  by  your  conduct  with  some  other 
woman.  It  seems  passing  strange  that  you  should 
have  been  so  acquiescent  under  an  arrangement 
which  you  describe  as  such  a  hardship,  if  you  were 
not  kept  so  by  a  consciousness  of  duplicity.  But  I 
have  no  desire  to  pursue  that  line  of  inquiry.  This 
-+  404  h~ 


PUNISHMENT 


so-called  marriage  must  be  dissolved.  Let  us  admit 
that  you  have  not  given  statutory  grounds ;  there 
are  other  grounds  concerning  which  there  exists  no 
manner  of  doubt  whatever.  I  do  not  speak  now  of 
the  eternal  fitness  of  things,  of  those  humane  and 
ethical  considerations  to  which  I  find  you  impervious, 
but  of  legal  grounds.  My  daughter  cannot  bring 
an  action  for  non-support  against  you,  because  she 
left  you  voluntarily.  It  remains  for  you  to  institute 
proceedings  of  divorce  against  her  on  the  ground 
of  desertion.    We  will  not  defend  the  suit." 

There  was  something  almost  clairvoyant  in  the 
bishop's  guess  of  the  mayor's  infidelity,  for  pride 
had  caused  Felicity  to  keep  Lena  out  of  her  con- 
fession. She  had  told  only  as  much  as  she  chose  to 
tell,  leaving  her  father  to  imagine  himself  in  posses- 
sion of  all  the  facts.  Had  she  told  all,  she  would 
have  strengthened  her  case  at  the  expense  of  her 
pride ;  but  this  was  a  sacrifice  she  could  not  bring 
herself  to  make. 

Before  the  bishop  finished  speaking,  his  listener 
had  discerned  that  the  veiled  accusation  was  a  guess, 
and  nothing  more.  This  knowledge  helped  him  to 
remain  apparently  unmoved.  It  did  more.  It  showed 
him  Felicity's  pride  in  remaining  silent  concerning 
a  rival  so  much  beneath  her.  This  had  been  her 
attitude  all  along,  —  to  consider  Lena  beneath  con- 
tempt,—  and  he  burned  to  make  her  suffer  for  it. 
He  was  filled  with  fury  against  himself  also  for  yield- 
-+  405  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

ing  at  the  last  to  his  passion  for  Lena,  after  a  long 
and  successful  struggle.  It  was  this  that  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  say  plainly  that  he  would  not 
give  Felicity  up,  though  he  had  tormented  her  father 
by  implying  it.  This  method  of  revenge  was  the 
only  one  now  left  him. 

"  But  your  religion,"  he  suggested,  with  a  sneer. 

"  Excuse  me,"  the  bishop  returned,  with  patient 
dignity,  "  if  I  feel  that  I  am  not  accountable  to  you 
for  the  manner  in  which  I  defend  or  fail  to  defend 
the  canons  of  my  Church.  My  daughter  acts  as  an 
individual  who  is  of  age,  and  her  reckoning  is  with 
the  civil  law.  To  clear  up  your  evident  confusion 
of  mind,  I  will  explain  that  I  violate  no  canons  of 
the  Church  in  eliminating  myself  officially  from  the 
situation.  I  am  merely  suggesting  to  you,  as  one  in- 
dividual to  another,  a  way  out  of  a  most  unhappy 
complication.  Besides,  you  evade  the  hard  fact  that 
this  was  no  marriage  in  the  full  sense  of  the  word." 

Emmet  realised  that  his  shaft  had  fallen  short, 
and  the  knowledge  stung  him  to  fury. 

"I  will  not  bring  any  such  action!"  he  cried 
recklessly,  rising  in  white  heat.  "  I  will  not  release 
her!" 

"  We  shall  accomplish  nothing  by  violence,"  the 
bishop  interposed.  "  Pray,  resume  your  chair  and 
hear  me  out.  A  marriage  without  love  is  a  mere 
mockery  and  sham.  You  do  not  love  my  daughter, 
and  she  does  not  love  you.  We  will  not  argue  about 
-+  406  +- 


PUNISHMENT 


that,  if  you  please,  for  it  is  not  possible  to  contradict 
an  evident  fact.  You  are  an  ambitious  man,  and 
marriage  is  only  one  of  the  ways  by  which  ambition 
can  be  furthered.  In  this  case,  the  marriage  is  out 
of  the  question ;  but  if  you  will  name  a  compensa- 
tion which  you  deem  adequate  recompense  for  your 
disappointment,  we  shall  be  ready  to  listen  to  the 
proposition." 

Emmet  had  taken  his  seat  at  the  bishop's  request, 
but  this  cynical  proposal  to  buy  him  off  caused  him 
to  spring  to  his  feet  again  in  an  indignation  that  was 
not  altogether  unjustified.  He  was  a  money-maker 
himself,  and  had  not  coveted  Felicity's  wealth. 
From  her  he  had  sought  only  social  advantage  and 
revenge  upon  his  enemies ;  but  it  was  his  pride  to 
be  the  builder  of  his  own  fortune. 

"  If  you  were  not  an  old  man,"  he  said  tempest- 
uously, "  you  would  not  make  such  an  offer  with 
impunity.  You  will  find  I  have  no  price.  I  wish 
you  good  day." 

"  Wait !  "  the  bishop  cried,  raising  his  trembling 
hand  and  clearing  his  throat  from  suffocating  emo- 
tion. "  Only  one  word  more.  You  shall  not  have 
her  —  that  is  all.  And  this  house  is  mine  —  you  shall 
not  enter  it  again." 

The  other's  face  became  diabolical  in  its  passion. 
He  leaned  against  the  jamb  of  the  open  door  and 
folded  his  arms  mockingly,  as  if  inviting  an  effort 
to  eject  him. 

-+  407  -^ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  You  were  speaking  pretty  freely  of  statutory 
grounds,"  he  said,  raising  his  voice.  "It  hasn't 
occurred  to  you,  perhaps,  that  I  may  name  a  co-re- 
spondent myself.  You  ought  to  have  a  care,  bishop, 
what  kind  of  professors  you  employ  in  your  college." 
With  these  words  he  turned  and  strode  from  the 
house. 

The  bishop's  speechless  indignation  presently  gave 
way  to  the  first  touch  of  pity  he  had  yet  felt  for  Feli- 
city in  her  trouble.  The  mayor  was  more  of  a  brute 
than  even  he  had  thought  possible,  and  should  receive 
no  quarter  in  the  future.  The  front  door  had  scarcely 
closed  when  his  daughter's  figure  took  the  place  her 
husband  had  just  occupied  before  him. 

"  Well  ?  "  she  asked  simply. 

He  searched  her  face  with  haggard  eyes,  and 
guessed  from  its  pallor  that  his  fears  were  justi- 
fied. 

"  Did  you  hear  what  the  fellow  said, "  he  demanded 
—  "  his  last  words  ?  " 

The  colour  came  back  to  her  cheeks  with  a  rush. 
"  I  could  n't  very  well  help  it.  I  was  in  the  dining- 
room,  and  the  door  was  open." 

"  I  'm  sorry,"  he  murmured, "  very  sorry.  I  hoped 
you  did  not.  But  there,  we  '11  not  discuss  the  sub- 
ject any  more  at  present,  Felicity.  The  interview 
was  fruitless,  worse  than  fruitless,  I  fear."  He  shifted 
uneasily  in  his  chair,  and  she  understood  his  dumb 
appeal  to  be  left  alone. 

-h  408  *- 


PUNISHMENT 


When  she  had  gone,  he  arose  from  his  seat  and 
unlocked  a  long  drawer  beneath  one  of  his  bookcases, 
from  which  he  took  a  mass  of  material  relating  to  the 
plans  for  St.  George's  Hall.  These  he  spread  out  on 
the  desk  before  him  and  studied  with  deep  attention, 
turning  again  to  this  dream  with  an  instinct  of  self- 
preservation.  To-morrow  he  would  take  up  again 
the  fight  for  his  daughter's  freedom  and  happiness, 
but  now  he  was  in  sore  need  of  some  narcotic  influ- 
ence, of  something  beautiful  and  permanent,  as  a 
refuge  from  the  passions  that  had  threatened  to 
overpower  him.  Felicity  would  live  this  down ;  it 
would  ultimately  seem  but  a  stormy  day  in  the  re- 
trospect. Meanwhile,  what  could  he  do  about  this 
chapel?  Here,  in  this  envelope,  was  a  promise  of 
half  the  money  needed,  if  he  could  raise  the  balance 
within  a  specified  time.  He  recalled  having  read  in 
the  morning  paper  of  the  arrival  from  Europe  of  an 
old  friend  and  former  parishioner.  She  was  a  rich 
woman,  and  was  now  alone  in  the  world.  Perhaps 
he  could  get  away  in  a  few  days  and  run  down  to 
New  York  to  see  her.  He  began  to  drum  absently 
on  the  desk  with  his  fingers,  turning  over  in  his 
mind  some  details  in  the  arrangement  of  the  chapel 
which  he  had  never  settled  to  his  satisfaction.  Pre- 
sently he  realised  that  something  was  lacking,  and 
reaching  forward,  he  took  a  cigar  from  the  open  box 
that  stood  on  the  revolving  bookcase  near  by. 

It  was  noon  when  the  mayor  returned  to  the  City 
-+  409  +• 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

Hall.  On  the  steps,  as  he  entered,  stood  a  figure  long 
familiar  in  the  streets  of  Warwick,  a  blind  news- 
vender,  with  his  cane  and  smoked  glasses  and  bundle 
of  papers.  In  the  morning,  he  might  be  seen  at  the 
railroad  station,  a  grotesque  and  patient  form,  hold- 
ing out  his  papers  silently  in  the  direction  of  the 
shuffling  feet  that  passed  by.  He  never  cried  his 
wares,  but  his  appeal  was  more  compelling  than  the 
noisy  shouts  of  his  more  fortunate  competitors.  He 
had  become  an  institution  in  Warwick.  Every  one 
knew  where  to  find  him  at  certain  hours:  in  the 
morning,  at  the  station;  toward  noon,  taking  his 
way,  unassisted  except  by  his  cane,  toward  the  City 
Hall,  carrying  the  first  edition  of  a  great  metropol- 
itan daily  of  the  flaming  variety ;  in  the  evening,  at 
the  station  once  more.  He  had  made  these  two  posts 
of  vantage  his  own,  as  unfortunates  in  the  Old  World 
take  possession  of  sunny  corners  beside  cathedral 
doors,  and  no  one  ventured  to  trespass  within  his 
sphere. 

Each  noon  Emmet  had  been  accustomed  to  buy  a 
paper,  paying  a  nickel  or  a  dime  as  it  came  to  his 
hand,  but  seldom  the  penny  that  was  the  price  of 
the  sheet.  To-day  he  followed  his  custom  mechani- 
cally and  hurried  on,  eager  to  plunge  into  the  distrac- 
tion of  work  as  a  refuge  from  the  tormenting  devil 
within  him.  The  outer  office,  lined  with  chairs  for 
visitors  and  adorned  with  pictures  of  former  occu- 
pants of  the  mayoralty,  was  deserted.  He  passed 
-+  410  +- 


PUNISHMENT 


into  the  inner  office,  where  his  desk  stood,  piled  with 
the  last  mail,  and  sent  his  stenographer  out  to  lunch, 
for  his  own  appetite  had  deserted  him. 

He  had  thrown  the  paper  down,  with  no  thought 
of  reading  it,  and  paused  to  hang  up  his  coat  and 
hat.  Upon  his  return,  he  was  confronted  by  a  black 
headline  in  letters  two  inches  deep,  and  flinging  the 
paper  open  with  a  sharp  crackle,  he  stood  rigid  while 
the  meaning  of  it  burst  upon  him. 

PRETTY  MAID  MARRIES  RICH  SWELL! 

ROMANTIC  RUNAWAY  MATCH.  YOUNG  HOL- 
LISTER  PYLE  OF  WARWICK  MARRIES  THE 
GIRL  THAT  FORMERLY  LIVED  IN  HIS  HOUSE. 
CUPID  NOT  TO  BE  BAFFLED  BY  THE  DIFFER- 
ENCE IN  SOCIAL  POSITION.  PARENTS  OF 
BRIDEGROOM    TELEGRAPH    THEIR  FORGIVENESS. 

Emmet  slowly  sank  into  his  chair,  his  staring  eyes 
fixed  on  the  page  while  he  rapidly  ran  through  the 
startling  story — not  a  seven  days'  wonder,  indeed,  in 
these  times  of  universal  publicity,  but  the  gossip  of 
a  few  hours,  until  the  whirling  sheets  of  the  next 
issue  should  fling  some  other  story  of  folly  or  crime 
into  the  hands  of  its  gaping  readers. 

But  Emmet  was  not  comforted  by  a  realisation 

of  the  transitory  nature  of  the  sensation.    He  heard 

the  newsboys  in  the  street  without,  crying  it  hoarsely, 

and  almost  wondered  why  his  own  name  was  not 

-+  411  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

coupled  with  the  others,  to  be  bruited  about  the  side- 
walks, proclaiming  his  guilt.  In  the  first  moments, 
his  sensations  were  those  of  fear  and  horror.  The 
bottom  had  dropped  out  of  his  world,  leaving  him 
suspended  over  an  abyss.  He  experienced  no  relief 
that  this  act  of  Lena's  freed  his  own  hands.  He  was 
free  in  one  sense,  but  she  had  fastened  a  crime  upon 
him  forever  by  taking  herself  from  his  path. 

What  he  had  intended  to  do,  he  did  not  know. 
Some  vague  idea  of  providing  for  her  had  lain  dor- 
mant in  his  mind.  He  had  even  gone  to  the  bishop's 
with  a  subconscious  disposition  to  give  Felicity  up ; 
but  her  father's  scorn  had  aroused  his  perversity, 
and  had  resulted  in  a  declaration  of  obstinacy  that 
was  unpremeditated. 

Now  he  knew  that  he  had  loved  Lena,  had  in- 
tended to  stand  by  her,  even  to  marry  her ;  and  he 
was  struck  by  her  pitiful  humility.  Evidently  it 
had  not  occurred  to  her  mind  that  he  might  get  a 
divorce.  Too  late  he  wished  he  had  been  frank  with 
her  and  had  asked  her  to  wait.  In  reality,  he  was  no 
sensualist,  and  Lena's  frailty  had  not  made  him  a 
cynic ;  on  the  contrary,  he  regarded  it  as  a  proof 
of  her  love  alone.  In  his  agony,  he  did  not  judge 
her ;  he  judged  only  himself.  He  had  taught  her 
duplicity,  but  he  was  aghast  at  her  skill  in  practis- 
ing the  lesson  she  had  learned.  During  all  this 
time,  he  had  received  no  hint  that  young  Pyle  had 
followed  her  from  his  house.  He  could  only  imagine 
-+  412  i- 


PUNISHMENT 


the  facts.  When  Lena  left  that  place  to  go  to  Bishop 
Wycliffe's,  she  doubtless  had  an  honest  desire  to 
escape  from  the  unwelcome  attentions  she  had  told 
him  of.  She  must  have  begun  to  weaken  only  after 
discovering  that  the  man  for  whom  she  made  the 
effort  had  played  her  false. 

Emmet  threw  down  the  paper  with  a  groan  and 
turned  to  his  desk,  moved  by  a  desperate  hope  that 
he  could  force  himself  to  appreciate  the  reality  of 
the  interests  those  piled  envelopes  represented.  He 
seized  them  feverishly,  and  began  to  shuffle  them 
over  like  a  pack  of  cards.  His  random  glance  was 
arrested  by  a  thin,  wavering  hand  he  knew  well, 
scrawled  on  an  envelope  that  bore  the  picture  and 
name  of  a  New  York  hotel.  Had  he  been  a  student 
of  chirography,  he  might  have  read  the  secret  of  the 
enigma  that  tormented  him  in  those  pale,  uncertain 
pen-strokes,  so  unlike  the  firm,  compact  characters 
by  which  Miss  Wy cliff e  visualised  her  will.  But  his 
only  thought  was  that  this  letter  came  to  him  as  a 
final  explanation  and  farewell,  after  he  had  lost  hei 
forever. 

The  epistle  was  confused,  and  blotted  with  tears. 
She  told  how  Pyle  had  pursued  her,  how  she  had  re- 
sisted him,  how  she  had  finally  yielded*  to  his  impor- 
tunities, to  shield  the  man  that  had  wronged  her 
and  to  save  herself.  If  she  had  not  done  this,  she 
would  have  killed  herself,  but  she  was  afraid  to  die, 
and  there  was  no  third  way.  She  wrote  no  word  of 
-+  413  ■*■ 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

reproach,  but  closed  with  a  final  message  of  love 
and  a  prayer  for  his  happiness. 

Emmet  shrank  from  the  lines,  as  if  each  were  the 
waving  lash  of  a  whip  that  descended  upon  him. 
When  he  had  finished  reading,  he  tore  the  letter 
into  minute  fragments  and  threw  them  in  the  basket. 
His  heart  was  swelling  with  the  sense  of  a  tragedy 
that  was  not  completed,  but  only  begun,  a  tragedy 
that  he  and  Lena  must  share  together.  She  had 
bound  him  to  her  forever  by  putting  this  barrier 
between  them.  He  thought  of  Felicity  only  to  re- 
solve to  free  himself  from  her  at  once,  that  he  might 
be  in  readiness  to  come  to  Lena's  aid  in  the  future, 
should  she  need  him.  Perhaps  God  would  yet  give 
him  a  chance  to  make  amends.  If  her  husband 
would  only  break  his  worthless  neck  in  one  of  his 
mad  rushes  with  his  machine,  Emmet  reflected  sav- 
agely, or  drink  himself  to  death  — 

Any  moment  some  one  might  come  in  and  find 
him  there.  He  got  up  and  locked  the  door  against 
intrusion  before  he  should  be  able  to  master  the  out- 
ward signs  of  his  emotion.  Then  he  returned  to  his 
chair  and  looked  about,  thinking  confusedly.  There 
was  something  pitiless  in  the  glaring  light  of  noon 
that  disclosed  every  crack  and  stain  on  the  ugly 
brown  walls.  It  was  like  the  relentless  light  of  his 
new  revelation  turned  upon  the  stains  and  patches 
of  his  soul,  dreary  and  terrible.  Had  the  hour  been 
twilight,  some  glamour  of  lost  romance  and  self-pity 
■h-  414  +- 


PUNISHMENT 


might  have  fallen  upon  him  like  a  violet  veil,  hiding 
the  sordid  truth;  but  he  lacked  the  imagination 
with  which  artistic  natures  may  shield  themselves, 
and  he  saw  things  as  they  were.  He  even  wandered 
momently  from  his  own  misery  to  reflect  that  he 
would  have  this  room  refitted  and  painted  a  more 
cheerful  hue,  whether  for  himself  or  for  his  successor. 
The  office  was  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  city  like 
Warwick. 

He  picked  up  the  paper  and  spread  it  out  before 
him  once  more,  quivering  sensitively  at  the  flippant 
and  vulgar  tone  of  the  announcement.  That  "  pretty 
maid  "  was  just  Lena  to  him,  whom  he  had  loved  in 
secret,  now  haled  before  the  tribunal  of  public  opin- 
ion. His  sensations  could  scarcely  have  been  more 
keen,  had  he  also  been  billed  before  the  gaping 
crowd.  The  fact  that  he  was  not  so  billed  made  him 
realise  what  a  small  part  of  any  secret  ever  reaches 
the  general  ear.  The  plant  is  pulled  up  for  inspec- 
tion, but  the  deeper  roots  remain  behind,  hidden  in 
the  earth. 

There  was  the  elder  Pyle,  a  dignified  man,  with  a 
war  record,  who  had  been  one  of  the  committee  that 
thrust  the  mayor  of  Warwick  aside  as  unworthy  to 
welcome  the  President.  Here  was  a  strange,  unmed- 
itated revenge  !  Emmet,  through  Lena,  had  done 
much  to  wreck  the  happiness  of  that  household. 
His  deed  had  gotten  away  from  him,  and  was  work- 
ing on  and  on,  beyond  his  power  to  recall,  passing 
-H-  415  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

from  one  social  class  into  another  as  through  a  fa- 
miliar medium.  The  mayor's  straight  lines  of  demar- 
cation between  classes  became  blurred  ;  he  saw  them 
shift  and  waver  and  disappear,  till  the  whole  seemed 
a  confused  mass  of  humanity,  confluent  and  inter- 
changeable. 

His  only  desire  now  was  to  make  reparation,  and 
reparation  was  denied  him.  His  success  had  been  so 
steadily  progressive,  his  growing  appreciation  of  his 
own  power  so  intoxicating,  that  he  had  somehow  felt 
he  could  control  this  situation  also.  Even  Felicity 
had  not  been  beyond  him,  had  he  chosen  to  assert 
himself.  But  Lena,  —  so  gentle  and  acquiescent,  — 
it  was  she  who  had  taken  the  bit  in  her  teeth  and 
done  this  astounding  thing  ! 

It  would  be  a  relief,  he  reflected,  if  he  could  make 
open  confession  and  begin  life  over  again,  or  run 
away  from  the  daily  reminder  of  his  sin ;  but  he 
must  remain  where  he  was,  and  steel  himself  to  see 
Lena  unmoved,  a  man  with  an  abiding  shadow. 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   MAYOR   FINDS    HIMSELF   AT   LAST 

XT  was  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day,  and  the  sun  still  shone 
dazzlingly  on  the  deep,  unblemished  snow.  All 
morning  long,  the  janitors  of  the  Hall  had  been  toil- 
ing through  the  drifts  with  their  shovels,  leaving  a 
narrow  pathway  behind  them  from  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  building  to  the  street  at  the  end  of 
the  maple  walk.  Now,  their  heads  and  shoulders 
had  ceased  to  rise  and  fall  above  the  bleak  expanse. 

Instead,  a  solitary  figure  could  be  seen  advancing  in 
the  direction  of  the  college,  seeming  from  a  distance 
to  be  that  of  a  child,  and  reminding  one  of  Little  Red 
Riding-Hood  in  the  fairy  tale.  The  height  of  the  side 
walls  of  snow  aided  the  distance  in  producing  this 
illusion.  Upon  coming  nearer,  one  would  have  seen 
the  child  gradually  assume  the  stature  of  a  woman, 
and  had  he  been  a  citizen  of  Warwick,  he  would 
have  recognised  Felicity  Wycliffe. 

Although,  as  a  general  thing,  women  were  not  wont 

to  pass  that  way,  except  to  attend  the  chapel  services 

of  a  Sunday  or  some  public  ceremony,  the  bishop's 

daughter  was  free  of  the  grounds  by  peculiar  rights, 

-+  417  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

which  no  one  dreamed  of  questioning.  A  group 
of  students,  meeting  her  halfway,  leaped  gallantly 
into  the  snow  waist-deep  to  let  her  pass,  and  did 
not  presume  to  question  her  mission  or  destination. 

The  wind  had  already  begun  to  sift  the  fine  snow 
into  the  bottom  of  the  trench,  increasing  the  diffi- 
culty of  her  progress,  and  forming  innumerable  little 
rifts  and  scallops  in  the  white  dunes  that  swelled 
upward  toward  the  skyline  like  the  sands  of  the  sea. 
Suddenly  she  heard  the  harsh  cawing  of  a  flock  of 
crows  that  passed  overhead,  wheeling  westward. 
The  sound  caused  her  heart  to  vibrate  with  a  mem- 
ory of  that  wonderful  October  afternoon  when  she 
had  listened  with  Leigh  to  the  same  notes  beneath 
the  pines,  and  she  shaded  her  eyes  against  the  sun 
to  watch  the  course  of  the  flock  across  the  wide 
basin  of  the  valley.  The  notes  grew  less  and  less, 
no  longer  streperous  but  strangely  musical,  and 
finally  were  heard  no  more,  leaving  her  oppressed  by 
a  sense  of  loneliness  and  desertion.  Something  akin 
to  an  antique  mood  fell  upon  her,  as  if  she  had  been 
given  an  augury  of  an  irreversible  fate. 

This  spiritual  quiescence,  numbing  her  from  a 
realisation  of  her  purpose,  held  until  she  disap- 
peared into  the  huge  archway  of  the  tower  and 
began  to  ascend  the  narrow  stairs.  But  here  her  spirit 
failed  her,  and  she  paused.  Standing  motionless  in 
the  gloom,  she  could  hear  her  heart  beating  wildly, 
and  the  folly  of  her  intention  became  apparent.  But 
-t*  418  *- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

the  momentum  of  her  original  purpose  presently 
urged  her  on,  it  seemed  against  her  will  and  better 
judgement,  until  she  stood  before  Leigh's  half -open 
door.  Had  the  door  been  closed,  she  might  not  have 
been  able  to  bring  herself  to  knock,  she  might  have 
turned  and  departed  as  silently  as  she  had  come ;  but 
there  was  an  invitation  in  this  accidental  circum- 
stance, to  which  the  gleam  of  an  open  fire  gave 
warmth  and  persuasion. 

Listening  intently,  she  heard  no  sound  from 
within.  The  few  students  she  had  met  on  the  hill- 
side were  the  only  ones  she  had  seen,  and  she  guessed 
that  the  majority  were  still  detained  by  their  reci- 
tations. At  the  end  of  the  hour,  he  would  doubt- 
less return  from  a  class.  There  was  time  for  her  to 
recall  what  she  wished  to  say  and  how  she  would 
begin.  Keassured  by  this  reflection,  she  was  about 
to  enter,  when  the  door  on  the  other  side  of  the  hall 
opened,  and  she  turned  to  see  Cardington's  tall  fig- 
ure against  the  light  from  within. 

"  I  was  listening  for  your  step,  Miss  Felicity,"  h^ 
said,  "  having  observed  your  approach  from  my 
corner  window,  but  you  came  as  quietly  as  a  snow- 
flake.  This  is  an  unexpected  honour.  It 's  a  long 
time  since  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  a  call  from 
you ;  in  fact,  not  since  those  days  of  blessed  memory 
when  you  were  a  little  girl,  and  used  to  run  up  to 
take  a  look  at  my  pictures.  But  come  in.  Perhaps 
I  can  make  you  a  cup  of  afternoon  tea." 
-H-  419  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

She  followed  him  into  the  room,  and  said  nothing 
until  he  had  closed  the  door  behind  her.  Then  she 
flung  back  her  hood  with  a  sweep  of  her  hand  and 
met  his  gaze  steadily. 

"You  know  I  did  n't  come  to  see  you,  don't 
you  ?  "  she  demanded  with  quiet  defiance. 

"  Far  be  it  from  me,"  he  temporised,  "  to  assume 
accurate  knowledge  of  anything  as  doubtful  as  the 
direction  a  charming  young  woman's  favour  may 
take ;  but  I  thought  it  possible  —  I  thought  it  pos- 
sible —  for  old  sake's  sake." 

The  repetition  of  the  reminder  touched  her,  in 
spite  of  her  preoccupation,  and  she  glanced  about 
the  once  familiar  room  with  a  wistful  kindling  of  the 
eyes. 

"  I  used  to  come  up  here  often,  did  n't  I  ?  "  she 
mused.  "  And  father  knew  where  to  find  me  when 
he  had  finished  his  smoke  and  talk  with  the  boys. 
There  's  the  same  old  picture  of  the  Alhambra  you 
used  to  tell  me  stories  about."  Her  defiance  was 
gone  now,  though  her  purpose  still  held.  "  But  I 
did  n't  come  to  see  you  this  time  ;  I  shall  —  soon. 
I  came  to  see  some  one  else." 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said,  fixing  her  with  "a  gaze 
of  deep  concern,  "I  am  old  enough  to  be  your  father, 
am  I  not?" 

She  nodded  silently,  waiting  for  the  lecture  she 
felt  she  so  well  deserved.  Yet  it  was  characteristic 
of  their  relationship  that  she  experienced  no  serious 
-h.  420  +- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

apprehension  ;  she  was  too  well  aware  of  his  under- 
standing and  indulgence  for  that. 

"  But  still,"  he  continued,  "  I  lack  a  few  years 
of  reaching  the  imposing  longevity  of  Methuselah." 

She  put  out  her  hands  in  impulsive  protest  against 
this  reference  to  their  difference  in  age,  understand- 
ing the  pain  that  underlay  his  effort  at  jocularity. 
He  took  and  retained  them  in  his  own,  and  his  col- 
our deepened. 

"  This  is  a  most  embarrassing  demonstration  of 
affection,"  he  commented.  "  If  any  one  should 
suddenly  open  the  door,  I  fear  his  surprise  would 
be  very  great.  Now,  is  it  not  fortunate  that  my 
room  is  opposite  that  of  my  young  colleague, 
rather  than  the  room  of  some  other  person  less 
well  disposed,  less  a  friend,  I  may  say,  to  you 
both?" 

"  I  'm  sure  it  is,"  she  answered.  "  If  any  one  else 
had  been  living  in  this  room,  I  would  never  have 
ventured  "  — 

"  Exactly.  No  one  else,  perhaps,  has  had  my 
opportunities  for  understanding  you.  Now,  on  the 
basis  of  our  long  acquaintance,  and  because  of  my 
deep  attachment  to  yourself  and  your  father,  I  wish 
to  urge  you  to  reconsider  your  intention  of  making 
any  other  call  this  afternoon." 

"  I  shall  have  to  use  my  own  judgement,"  she 
returned,  without  flinching.  "I  am  in  great  per- 
plexity —  you  don't  know." 

-+  421  4- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  I  do  know/'  he  retorted,  "  and  perhaps  the  time 
has  come  for  me  to  tell  you  so.  A  wanderer  like 
myself  comes  across  many  unexpected  things  in  the 
course  of  his  peregrinations.  Shall  I  tell  you  how, 
while  looking  for  some  records  of  my  family  in 
an  old  New  York  church,  secretly  indulging  the 
genealogical  mania  I  am  wont  to  deride,  I  lighted 
upon  a  record  I  did  not  think  to  find  —  the  record 
of  the  marriage  of  one  who  is  very  dear  to  me?" 

"  Then  you  knew  all  the  time  !  I  almost  thought 
so  —  often." 

"Not  all  the  time,"  he  corrected,  "though  for 
what  seemed  a  very  long  time,  while  I  waited  for 
the  bolt  to  fall  on  your  father's  unsuspecting  head. 
Perhaps,  Felicity,  you  will  accept  it  as  a  proof  of 
my  devotion  to  you  that  I  did  not  consider  it  my 
duty  to  enlighten  your  father.  If  I  can  be  of  any 
assistance  to  you  even  now  —  but  I  am  an  outsider. 
I  merely  wish  to  assure  you  of  my  unswerving  — 
friendship." 

"Don't  make  me  cry,"  she  protested,  with  a 
shaken  little  laugh.  She  bit  her  lip  and  winked 
back  the  starting  tears.  "  Father  knows  now  —  and 
you  know  —  and  I  am  going  to  tell  Mr.  Leigh." 

"  Well,  well,"  he  answered,  "  I  say  no  more." 
His  eyes  searched  her  face  earnestly,  and  he  began 
to  shake  her  hands,  which  he  had  retained  in  his 
own  from  the  time  she  put  them  there.  "  You  must 
redeem  your  promise  to  come  and  see  me  again,  I 
-h  422  +- 


FINDS    HIMSELF   AT    LAST 

hope  under  happier  circumstances."  He  flung  open 
the  door  with  suspicious  haste,  and  bowed  her  out 
in  his  ceremonious  way. 

She  found  herself  facing  the  same  beckoning  fire- 
light, with  the  same  reassuring  silence  about  her. 
In  addition  she  felt  a  new  comfort  and  an  unexpected 
permission  from  the  recent  interview.  Without  fur- 
ther hesitation,  she  stepped  across  the  threshold  and 
quietly  closed  the  door  behind  her. 

She  was  still  somewhat  shaken  by  the  emotions 
she  had  just  experienced,  but  this  change  of  scene 
brought  different  sensations  and  dried  her  tears. 
Her  first  feeling  was  one  of  intense  relief.  Here  she 
was, whether  wisely  or  not  she  could  not  tell,  but  she 
was  glad  she  had  come.  She  advanced  to  the  centre 
of  the  room,  and  gazed  about  her  at  the  objects  that 
were  his.  The  first  thing  that  always  struck  her 
in  any  room  was  its  pictures,  and  here  she  saw  a 
number  of  famous  astronomers  and  mathematicians, 
stiffly  arranged  in  chronological  order.  There  were 
no  Venetian  scenes  or  cathedrals,  but  above  the  fire- 
place she  saw  an  etching  of  the  library  of  his  alma 
mater,  surmounted  by  his  college  flag. 

What  a  contrast  to  the  room  she  called  her  own  ! 
The  very  atmosphere  was  different,  for  mingled  with 
the  odour  of  burning  logs  she  detected  a  suggestion 
of  tobacco  smoke,  so  faint  that  only  a  woman  would 
have  perceived  it.  The  simplicity  of  the  place,  the 
absence  of  ornate  decoration,  was  like  him,  she  re- 
-+  423  h- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

fleeted.  Artistic  herself  to  an  exceptional  degree,  she 
had  never  cared  for  men  who  possessed  an  equal 
knowledge  of  such  things ;  they  were  either  profes- 
sional artists,  or  somehow  less  than  manly. 

She  was  familiar  with  the  rooms  of  St.  George's 
Hall,  and  knew  to  a  nicety  what  furniture  and  pic- 
tures and  hangings  were  best  suited  to  the  sugges- 
tions inherent  in  the  deep  stone  windows,  the  small, 
leaded  panes,  the  massive  fireplaces.  Of  these  things 
she  saw  no  examples  ;  but  on  the  large  desk,  littered 
with  a  profusion  of  books  and  pipes  and  papers, 
her  glance  was  arrested  by  the  sight  of  several  can- 
dlesticks of  various  sizes  and  of  beautiful  workman- 
ship. She  was  struck  by  this  as  by  a  psychological 
singularity,  and  counted  the  number  —  four  on  the 
table  and  three  others  on  the  mantel,  seven  in  all, 
the  number  freighted  with  so  many  religious  associ- 
ations. She  wondered  whether  there  were  some  astro- 
nomical association  also.  Were  there  seven. stars  in 
the  Pleiades  ? 

She  went  to  the  window  and  stood  looking  out  at 
the  shadow  of  the  Hall,  creeping  more  rapidly  now 
toward  the  edge  of  the  plateau.  The  austere  gloom 
of  the  scene,  the  strange,  red  light  of  the  sunset 
striking  across  the  eastern  valley  to  the  vague  blue 
hills  on  the  horizon,  were  unutterably  sad,  and  her 
desolate  mood  returned,  shot  through  by  fear  as  the 
time  of  his  arrival  became  a  matter  of  moments. 
What  was  she  to  say  to  him?  What  would  he 
■h.  424  1- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

think  ?  Was  there  yet  time  to  change  her  mind  and 
make  her  escape  ? 

Suddenly  the  voices  of  students  were  heard  below 
and  the  crunching  of  their  steps  along  the  path. 
She  had  lingered  too  long  and  must  abide  the  issue, 
for  presently  she  heard  him  coming  up  the  stairs. 
Then  she  thought  that  if  he  was  buoyant,  if  he 
entered  light-heartedly,  she  would  leave  without  a 
word,  cured  of  her  fancy  that  he  loved  her.  The 
door  opened  slowly,  and  she  remained  motionless 
where  she  stood,  her  hands  resting  on  the  cold 
stone  window-ledge,  her  eyes  fixed  intently  on  the 
distant  hills.  But  all  her  senses  were  conscious  of 
him.  She  felt  that  she  could  see  him,  that  he  too 
was  sad,  that  she  heard  him  sigh,  though  the  only 
sound  in  the  room  during  his  moment  of  speech- 
less surprise  was  the  purring  of  the  flames  in  the 
fireplace. 

"  Miss  Wycliffe,"  he  ventured  doubtfully. 

Remembering  his  experience  in  the  mist,  he  had 
almost  believed  that  he  was  again  the  victim  of  an 
hallucination,  but  her  swift  turning,  her  illuminating 
smile,  were  very  different  from  that  ghostly  vanish- 
ing. 

"  How  extraordinary  you  will  think  it  of  me,  Mr. 
Leigh,"  she  said,  coming  toward  him,  "  to  call  on 
you  in  this  fashion."  She  stood  near  him,  her  hands 
involved  in  the  folds  of  her  cloak,  her  bearing  one 
of  spontaneity  and  candour.  He  pulled  off  his  cap 
-+  425  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

and  stood  waiting.  None  of  the  conventional  greet- 
ings passed  between  them.  He  did  not  even  ask  her 
to  be  seated,  so  great  was  his  bewilderment,  his 
anxiety  to  know  why  she  had  come.  The  emotion  that 
had  stirred  her  in  Cardington's  room  seemed  gone 
now.  Her  smile  conveyed  an  humorous  appreciation 
of  her  unconventional  act.  The  gaze  of  her  eyes 
was  spiritual  and  clear. 

"  I  have  come  to  you  as  to  a  friend/'  she  explained 
with  sweet  seriousness.  "  You  know  the  trouble  I 
have  brought  upon  myself,  upon  my  father,  upon 
Mr.  Emmet,  upon  every  one.  I  am  in  great  distress 
of  mind.  I  want  to  do  the  right  thing,  if  it  is  pos- 
sible to  right  so  much  wrong  at  this  late  date.  I 
have  become  confused  as  to  my  duty.  My  husband 
thinks  one  thing  —  my  father  thinks  another  —  and 
I  don't  know  what  I  ought  to  do.  You  have  been 
in  Mr.  Emmet's  confidence  and  in  mine.  I  want 
you  to  give  me  your  advice." 

"  Perhaps  you  should  have  chosen  a  more  disin- 
terested judge,  Miss  Wycliffe,"  he  returned  ;  "  but 
you  were  right  at  least  in  feeling  that  you  could 
come  to  me  as  to  a  friend.  In  fact,  I  was  thinking 
of  coming  to  you,  perhaps  not  altogether  as  a  mere 
friend  —  but  let  that  go  now.  Why  should  n't  one 
who  would  have  been  something  nearer,  if  it  had 
been  possible,  be  at  least  that?  And  more  —  I  am 
grateful  to  you  for  giving  me  this  opportunity. 
I  take  it  as  a  proof  that  you  have  restored  me  in 
-+  426  +- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

some  measure  to  your  confidence,  after  I  had  de- 
served to  lose  it  entirely." 

In  reality,  there  had  been  no  doubt  in  her  mind 
in  regard  to  her  husband,  though  possibly  she 
would  have  denied,  even  to  herself,  that  her  deci- 
sion was  formed  before  she  came  with  the  problem 
to  the  man  that  loved  her.  It  was  not  her  duty  to 
Emmet  that  distressed  her,  but  whether  Leigh  loved 
her  still.  This  was  what  she  wished  to  know,  and 
now  his  manner  told  her  more  than  his  words. 

"  Don't  say  you  deserved  to  lose  my  confidence," 
she  protested  quickly.  "  It  was  I  who  deserved  to 
lose  yours." 

The  attitude  her  coming  demanded  of  him  was 
cruelly  difficult  to  maintain,  and  he  sought  help 
from  action. 

"We'll  let  bygones  be  bygones,  then,"  he  an- 
swered brusquely ;  but  his  brusqueness  pleased  her. 
"  Take  this  chair  by  the  fire." 

"  The  question  is  one  of  duty,"  she  began  again. 

He  flung  himself  into  another  chair  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  fireplace,  locked  his  fingers  about 
one  knee,  and  regarded  her  judicially,  as  if  his  whole 
mind  were  concentrated  upon  the  problem  she  was 
stating.  In  reality,  he  was  absorbed  by  the  extraordi- 
nary nature  of  the  situation,  and  lost  in  admiration 
of  the  picture  she  presented.  Were  she  posing  for 
a  portrait  to  be  painted,  she  could  not  have  chosen 
her  position  more  effectively.  The  firelight  brought 
-t-  427  «- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

out  a  golden  tone  from  her  brown  skirt.  It  was  lost 
in  the  softness  of  her  velvet  waist  and  hair,  to  reap- 
pear mysteriously  in  her  eyes.  She  had  thrown  her 
crimson  cloak  over  the  back  of  the  chair,  and  it 
formed  a  rippling  band  of  colour  on  each  side  of  her 
figure.  Surely,  here  was  a  Portrait  of  a  Lady  that 
would  have  made  an  artist  famous,  could  he  have 
done  it  to  the  life. 

She  spoke  of  her  struggle  with  Emmet  as  if  she 
were  stating  an  hypothetical  case  for  his  dispassion- 
ate consideration.  Her  apparent  coolness  filled  him 
with  amazement,  but  he  recognised  that  she  had 
adopted  the  only  attitude  that  could  justify  the  in- 
terview and  preserve  her  own  dignity.  His  emotions 
were  held  in  suspension ;  he  even  felt  he  had  none, 
so  compelling  was  the  effect  of  her  serious  and  im- 
personal frankness.  Yet  he  saw  she  was  not  really 
frank  with  him.  She  omitted  entirely  to  mention 
certain  elements  in  the  situation  which  she  must 
have  known  that  he  knew  from  her  husband's  con- 
fession to  him. 

His  eyes,  fixed  upon  her  own,  were  filled  with 
speculation,  and  he  was  unconscious  of  the  inquisi- 
torial effect  they  produced  upon  her.  He  was  think- 
ing how  very  different  she  was  from  what  he  had  at 
first  supposed,  and  how  this  gradual  opening  of  his 
eyes  to  hitherto  unsuspected  vistas  of  her  character 
had  not  changed  for  one  moment  the  fact  of  his 
love  for  her.  She  might  vacillate  and  doubt,  —  she 
-+  428  +- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

seemed  to  do  so  now,  —  but  questionings,  retreats, 
advances,  refusals,  were  for  women. 

Finally,  she  spoke  of  the  possibility  of  going  back 
to  Emmet,  and  he  felt  that  he  could  not  bear  it.  It 
was  this  very  thing  which  he  had  decided  to  protest 
against,  and  now  his  opportunity  had  come.  Every 
word  tortured  him,  filled  him  with  fury  against  her 
for  the  folly  of  such  a  sacrifice,  with  fury  also  against 
the  fate  that  forbade  him  to  plead  his  own  cause  and 
to  open  her  eyes  to  her  husband's  motives.  He  arose 
from  his  chair  and  began  to  pace  the  room  fever- 
ishly, tempted  each  moment  to  pause,  to  throw  him- 
self at  her  feet,  and  to  beg  her  to  love  him  alone. 
Would  he  only  lose  her  thus,  and  gain  her  contempt 
as  well  ? 

Felicity  ceased  speaking,  looked  into  the  fire  with 
a  musing  and  thoughtful  gaze,  smoothing  absently 
the  fingers  of  her  gloves,  and  waited  for  the  opinion 
she  had  asked  him  to  give.  She  was  more  than  sat- 
isfied now,  even  a  little  afraid  of  the  possible  expres- 
sion of  the  love  she  had  wished  to  prove.  She  had 
tempted  him  once  before,  and  he  had  yielded;  now 
she  was  making  another  impossible  demand  upon 
his  self-restraint,  calmly  asking  him  to  ignore  the 
truth  of  their  own  relationship  while  she  discussed 
her  false  duty  to  another.  Suddenly  he  stood  before 
her,  and  she  looked  up  to  encounter  his  eyes,  which 
seemed  to  burn  with  a  blue  flame  in  the  intensity 
of  his  emotion. 

-+  429  +- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

"  You  can't  be  so  foolish  as  to  go  back  to  him  ! " 
he  cried.  "  I  tell  you,  Felicity,  it  's  worse  than  folly 
—  it 's  wickedness.  I  love  you,  and  he  does  n't  — 
I  won't  let  him  have  you  ! " 

"  Oh,  don't !  "  she  protested,  rising  hurriedly  in 
her  turn.  "  I  ought  not  to  have  come  —  how  dark 
it  has  grown !  —  I  must  be  going.  What  shall  I 
do?  He  refuses  to  give  me  up,  and — and  I  am 
afraid  of  him  !  " 

The  scene  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff  had  come  back 
to  her  mind  with  new  and  terrible  force,  all  the 
more  portentous  as  she  seemed  now  to  have  seen  her 
way  of  escape  made  clear.  And  her  husband's  face  in 
the  moonlight,  when  she  fled  from  him  in  panic  into 
the  house !  Finally,  his  parting  threat  that  very 
morning,  in  which  he  had  involved  this  man  whom 
she  loved.  Leigh's  arm  went  about  her,  and  her 
head  rested  against  his  breast.  He  bent  over  her, 
intoxicated  by  the  fragrance  of  her  hair  and  kissing 
it  passionately. 

"  All  questions  and  doubts  are  solved  in  this,"  he 
murmured.  "  It  is  different  this  time,  is  it  not,  my 
darling?  What  is  the  use  of  more  words?  We 
understand  each  other  now."  He  held  her  from 
him.  "Look  up  into  my  eyes,"  he  commanded,  with 
reckless  exultation.  "  Your  eyes  blind  me ;  how 
wonderful  they  are !  Do  you  know  what  I  was 
thinking,  all  the  time  you  were  talking  to  me  about 
Emmet?  I  was  n't  half  listening  —  I  was  imagining 
h.  430  +- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

that  you  were  my  wife  and  not  his,  sitting  with  me 
by  the  fire.  I  allowed  myself  to  see  things,  not 
as  they  were,  but  as  they  ought  to  be,  as  they  shall 
be!" 

"I  was  a  proud  woman  once,"  she  faltered, 
"  but  I  have  no  right  to  be  proud  any  more.  If  you 
will  only  understand  me,  if  you  will  only  love  me 
always  as  you  do  now,  I  shall  not  care  for  anything 
else.  Tell  me  you  were  to  blame,  too,  and  save  me 
some  remnant  of  my  self-respect." 

"  Blame ! "  he  echoed  contemptuously.  "  See,  my 
darling,  how  I  kiss  away  your  tears.  Poor  child,  so 
storm-tossed,  so  troubled !  Have  we  not  dealt  enough 
with  words,  while  all  the  time  this  was  the  only 
reality?  Can  you  talk  of  blame  on  either  side,  Feli- 
city, when  we  love  each  other  as  we  do  ?  "  In  that 
moment  of  happiness  he  could  not  bring  himself  to 
tell  her  of  the  letter  in  his  pocket  that  gave  him 
permission  to  join  the  expedition  to  Egypt.  He  had 
still  a  few  days  to  spare,  and  though  he  was  resolved 
to  go,  he  would  not  throw  the  shadow  of  separation 
over  their  first  perfect  understanding.  That  very 
afternoon  he  had  arranged  with  Dr.  Renshaw  for 
his  substitute,  and  had  made  his  final  plans.  He 
would  have  gone  to  her  to-morrow  with  the  news, 
but  now  he  would  wait  until  to-morrow  before  he 
spoke. 

Silence  had  fallen  between  them  when  they  heard 
the  sound  of  footsteps  ascending  the  stairs,  buoyant 
-+  431  •*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

and  determined.  They  might  be  directed  to  Carding- 
ton's  room  across  the  way,  but  the  two  listeners 
stood  as  if  frozen,  waiting  with  strange  foreboding 
for  the  issue.  Then  came  a  loud  knocking  on  the 
door. 

They  stood  apart,  and  looked  at  each  other  with 
mute  irresolution.  The  knock  was  repeated,  and 
before  they  could  fortify  themselves  to  meet  the 
crisis,  the  door  opened  and  Emmet  advanced  boldly 
into  the  dim  light  of  the  fire.  Leigh  stepped  quickly 
between  him  and  Felicity. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this  intrusion,  Mr. 
Emmet  ?  "  he  asked  quietly. 

The  bishop's  daughter  seemed  to  grow  taller  with 
scorn  of  the  vulgar  outbreak  and  unseemly  charges 
she  believed  to  be  inevitable,  but  her  husband 
raised  his  hand  as  if  to  ward  off  resentment,  and 
Leigh  saw  in  a  glance  that  he  was  no  longer  the 
man  he  had  known.  There  was  little  now  of  that 
bold,  insistent  personality  which  had  once  radiated 
a  compelling  sense  of  power.  His  face  seemed  thin- 
ner, finer,  almost  luminous  with  his  purpose  of 
renunciation.  He  looked  at  Leigh  with  none  of 
the  fury  of  the  outraged  husband  in  his  eyes,  but 
rather  with  a  suggestion  of  sympathy  and  under- 
standing. 

"  I  've  been  to  the  bishop's,"  he  began  abruptly. 
"  I  wanted  to  see  him  and  Felicity  once  more  to 
take  back  all  I  said  this  morning,  and  to  say  I 
-+  432  •»- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

would  do  as  they  wished.  They  were  n't  at  home, 
and  I  guessed  somehow  they  might  be  here.  Any- 
how, even  if  they  were  n't,  I  wanted  you  to  know, 
Mr.  Leigh,  that  I  'd  given  Felicity  up.  Never  mind 
why,  —  that 's  my  affair,  —  but  it 's  right  for  every 
one  concerned.  I  '11  not  be  the  dog  in  the  manger 
any  longer.  You  were  intended  for  her,  and  she 
for  you.  I  knew  it  long  ago,  though  I  would  n't 
admit  it ;  and  after  all  this  trouble  is  over,  you  '11 
be  happy  together  "  —  His  voice  died  away,  and 
having  taken  a  step  aside  to  bring  Felicity  within 
range  of  his  vision,  he  stood  looking  from  one  to 
the  other  with  an  expression  which  prophesied  the 
spiritual  aloofness  he  might  one  day  attain. 

"  Felicity,"  he  said,  "  you  '11  not  have  reason  to 
fear  me  any  more.  It 's  clear  sailing  for  us  both  now. 
And  don't  reproach  yourself.  The  account  is  more 
than  square.  You  've  not  been  as  much  to  blame 
as  I  have,  —  be  sure  of  that." 

It  seemed,  however,  to  be  more  with  Leigh  than 
with  Felicity  that  he  was  concerned  at  the  last,  and 
he  shook  hands  with  him  lingeringly,  as  if  he  would 
show  that  under  happier  circumstances,  had  a  woman 
not  come  between  them,  they  would  have  been  the 
friends  they  were  meant  to  be.  The  astronomer  felt 
this,  as  if  the  message  had  been  spoken,  and  fol- 
lowed his  visitor  to  the  door  with  scarcely  articulate 
words  of  appreciation.  But  Emmet,  having  accom- 
plished his  purpose,  was  anxious  to  be  gone,  and 
-+  433  -»- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

making  his  exit  with  unceremonious  haste,  he  ran 
rapidly  down  the  stairs. 

He  had  not  reached  the  northern  end  of  the  Hall 
before  two  other  figures  emerged  from  the  black- 
ness of  the  archway  into  the  snowy  twilight  and 
turned  in  the  same  direction.  Felicity  had  not  al- 
lowed herself  to  remain  a  moment  longer  than  was 
necessary,  with  Leigh,  after  her  husband's  departure ; 
he  had  returned  from  seeing  his  visitor  to  the  door 
to  find  her  cloaked  and  ready.  He  appreciated  the 
situation  too  well  to  attempt  to  detain  her,  or  even 
to  comment  upon  Emmet's  extraordinary  change  of 
front  and  her  impending  freedom.  He  knew  that 
she  too,  like  himself,  was  crushed  by  her  husband's 
magnanimity,  and  that  all  mention  of  love  between 
them  was  an  impossibility  for  the  time.  While  their 
love  seemed  hopeless,  he  had  kissed  her  in  wild  revolt 
and  farewell,  but  now  he  found  it  possible  to  wait. 
He  experienced  a  curious  joy  in  a  realisation  of  the 
fact  that  she  fell  short  of  the  perfection  he  had 
once  assumed  in  her.  From  her  faults  he  took 
heart  of  grace,  and  was  saved  from  being  over- 
powered by  her  beauty. 

As  he  looked  at  Emmet's  sturdy  figure  plunging 
on  before  them,  now  lost  in  shadow,  now  passing 
through  a  bar  of  light  that  shone  from  a  student's 
window,  he  wondered  at  the  man's  surrender  of  one 
who  was  to  him  a  treasure-house  into  which  were 
gathered  all  the  beauty  and  mystery  and  fascina- 
■h-  434  +- 


FINDS    HIMSELF    AT    LAST 

tion  of  women.  The  future  held  much  of  uncer- 
tainty for  him,  but  his  love  was  safe. 

This  final  act  of  the  drama,  which  was,  after  all, 
only  the  centrepiece  of  a  trilogy,  built  on  a  drama 
acted  before  Leigh's  entrance  to  the  scene,  and  pro- 
mising another  in  the  future,  was  played  more  below 
the  surface  than  above.  Not  one  tenth  of  the  things 
that  might  have  been  said  was  actually  spoken ;  the 
greater  part  was  unexpressed,  perhaps  unexpressible. 
But  to  the  young  astronomer,  Nature  herself,  never 
wholly  mute,  was  full  of  interpretative  music.  If  the 
wind  was  ever  a  paean  of  victory,  it  was  such  to  him 
as  they  emerged  from  the  shelter  of  the  Hall  and 
received  the  full  force  of  its  robust  and  joyful  blast; 
if  the  familiar  stars  ever  sang  in  their  courses,  they 
sang  to  him  now.  From  time  to  time  his  hand  met 
that  of  the  woman  he  loved  in  a  clinging  touch,  as 
he  turned  to  help  her  through  a  drift  that  had  risen 
since  she  passed  that  way,  and  this  progress  seemed 
to  his  warm  imagination  an  allegory  of  their  future 
life  together. 

They  neared  the  end  of  the  maple  walk,  and  the 
mayor's  dark  figure  became  partially  obscured  by  the 
bulk  of  his  waiting  sleigh.  The  next  moment  he 
was  standing  upright  within  it,  arranging  the  blan- 
ket about  him,  seeming  larger  than  human  against 
the  whiteness  beyond.  He  sank  into  his  seat  and 
gathered  up  the  reins.  They  heard  him  speak  to  his 
horse  in  his  confidential  way ;  there  was  a  cheerful 
-*  435  ■*- 


THE    MAYOR    OF    WARWICK 

burst  of  silvery  bells,  and  the  sleigh  began  to  move 
rapidly  down  the  hill. 

As  Leigh  watched  the  vanishing  figure,  his  heart 
was  smitten  by  a  keen  regret,  for  he  felt  that  a  man 
of  heroic  quality,  known  only  when  lost,  was  pass- 
ing out  of  his  life  forever. 


ElectrotyPed  and  printed  by  H  .0.  Houghton  &"  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S,  A. 


YB  32994 


